You bite your lip. Usually, your relationship with your stepbrother is all jokes and teasing, a ping-pong of barbs where neither of you gets too hurt. But today, there's something different in the air, a tension that strangely makes you sweat. "N-nothing." You stammer, then you clear your throat, forcing you to speak more clearly. "I just wanted to talk to you."
Ryota raises an eyebrow, amused. "Oh, really? And you couldn't do it in front of Mom and Dad?" He nods toward the kitchen, where the laughter of Dad Mirio and Mom Tara rises into a joint roar of laughter. "You know I love family gatherings," he continues.
You blush even more, feeling the heat spread to the tips of your ears. "It's a private matter," you mutter, looking down to see your hands. Your fingers are still twitching. I mean, you're a girl who doesn't let anyone intimidate you! Why do you stutter and act like a schoolgirl now?"
Ryota studies your face for a long moment, then quickly pushes himself away from the wall. You can see his muscles rippling beneath his shirt. Without a word, he grabs your wrist, without using force, and drags you to the far corner of the hallway, near the small bathroom. There's a tall cabinet here, almost completely hiding your figures from anyone who might have entered that area.
Ryota leans slightly toward you, just inches from your face! Your heart pounds. "So," he whispers, a hint of impatience. "What's so secret, huh?"
You swallow, your throat dry. "Well…Tess invited me to a party." You blurt out the words in one breath, as if they were burning your mouth.
Ryota bursts out laughing, running a hand through his short hair and shaking his head. "A party?" He repeats, "And you, the goody-goody, are you going to parties now?"
Your cheeks are burning. "It's not like that," you protest, knowing it wouldn't convince anyone, least of all him. "It's just…a meeting between friends."
"Oh, yeah?" Ryota leans against the counter behind him, crossing his arms again. The movement makes the fabric of his shirt stretch across his biceps, and you can't help but stare. "And who's going to be at this get-together?"
You hesitate for a moment, then count off on your fingers: "Present Mic, Tess, me… Aizawa-sensei and…" You pause. Then you look at him. "You. If you want to come."
He's silent for a moment, his red eyes staring at you intently. Then, suddenly, he bursts into laughter again, this time with an almost hysterical tone. "Me? At a party with you and your friends?" He runs a hand over his face, as if wiping away the tears of laughter that aren't there. "God, you're truly unpredictable."
"It's not like that!" you exclaim, your stomach twisting. "It's just…a normal thing. Nothing big."
"Normal, huh?" Ryota takes a step closer, closing the gap between you by a few centimeters. You can feel the heat emanating from his body, as if it were a lit stove. "So tell me, little sister. Does this normal party include… extra activities? Like, I don't know, a little sex between friends?"
It feels like he just slapped you. Your breath catches in your throat, your eyes widen in shock. "W-what?" you stammer again.
He smiles, "You got it right," he continues, with a mischievous little smile that doesn't bode well. He raises a hand and… brushes your fingers! What is he doing? His touch is the lightest, but that's enough to make you frown. "So? Is this that kind of party?"
"NO!" You shake your head vehemently, your hair whipping against your cheeks. "I mean… I don't know! I don't think so! Tess didn't tell me anything like that!" You lie.
"But you want to," Ryota observes, his voice low. More than a question, it sounds like a statement. One he seems to already know.
"HUH?" You're starting to panic. "No! I mean… I…"
"Come on!" He leans even closer, his forehead touching yours. His warm breath is on your cheek. "Don't be shy with me. I know you too well." His fingers slide along the back of your hand. "Do you remember that time you saw me touching myself? In the bathroom, with my back to the door?"
The world stops for a moment.
Those words explode in your mind like a bomb, erasing every other thought. The memory hits you hard: the bathroom, his tense muscles, his hard, long cock. Oh God, how disgusting!
"You should have seen your face when you were looking at my cock." He continues, his fingers stroking your arm. "You enjoyed looking at me, didn't you, ah?"
"No," absolutely not, quite the opposite. But your body denies all your denials. Between your legs is a lake, and you can't explain why.
"What a liar you are." He whispers, "You really enjoyed it. And you know what?" He continues, not even giving you time to respond. "I jerked off again afterward, thinking about you. How you would move, what you would do… I imagined your moans…"
"Stop it! That's disgusting!" you exclaim, pushing him toward the counter.
"Would you like to see my cock again? Or maybe… watch me stick it in your best friend while you look into my eyes?"
Your knees are shaking, your pussy is throbbing, and it's completely wet! I don't want to imagine, I don't want to imagine anything! "No," is all you can say.
He smiles again. "Yes, you do." His hand grips your hips. "I know you'd like it. You're just a little pervert. You just don't want to admit it. All this effort to prove to me you're a hero…and you don't even know how to fight!" he exclaims.
You close your eyes, feeling the tears sting your eyelids. This isn't fair! This isn't me! You're the cheerful girl, the one who's always laughing and wants to save everyone! Not the girl who gets turned on by the idea of being forced to watch her stepbrother fuck your best friend!
And yet...
Your body reacts. Your legs are burning, your heart is beating like crazy.
"Fuck you, Ryota."
"Oh, I'd make you watch everything, little sister. I'd show you how good I am at making a woman cum. And you…you'd just stand there, watching, your thighs dripping wet and your hands shaking with desire to touch yourself."
"Enough!"
He laughs again, taking a step back. "It's a shame I can't come," he says finally, nonchalantly. "I have practice on the weekend. I can't afford to waste time with your games."
You look at him, puzzled. "W-what?"
He shrugs, leaning against the counter. "I said no. I won't be there." He shrugs, grinning. "But don't worry, little sister. I'm sure you'll have fun anyway."
He walks away, his steps calm, as if he hadn't just shaken your world to its foundations. What a bastard, you think, Tess won't be happy about it at all.
***
It's early morning, and you're already in your specialized medical classroom at U.A. The light from outside streams in golden, illuminating the entire ward, leaving a faint scent of disinfectant and alcohol in the air that only students, like you, can learn to love.
You enter the classroom, lost in thought, with light, silent steps. You have to tell Tess what happened yesterday with your idiot stepbrother, and that's also one of the reasons you've been sleeping so little. Your head is full of thoughts, between Ryota and Hawks-sensei, even about the party Tess is organizing... but one name keeps buzzing inside you like an all-too-familiar echo.
Aizawa-sensei...
Kaito greets you with a wave of his hand, his cheeks flushed, his easy smile and kind eyes. You're well aware that he's finally had the courage to confess his feelings to you, and that you were incredibly rude not to pursue the matter further with him. What amazes you most, however, is that he continues to act as if nothing has happened, or at least tries to, and for that he has all your respect.
"Slept little, huh? It shows on your face. Or is it…your favorite sensei's fault?"
You whip your head around, looking at him, perplexed. But how does he know?
"What…?"
Kaito chuckles, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm kidding! Come on, your eyes light up every time you mention him. You don't need a quirk or special power to figure that out."
"My eyes don't light up," you mutter, your cheeks red and your ears purple with embarrassment.
"Good morning, little ER angels! What's going on?"
Tess's shrill voice makes you turn toward her. She approaches with a cheerful, carefree pace, her usual infectious smile. Except that when she looks up at you, her smile darkens slightly. Reina peeks out from behind her, greeting everyone with just a shy wave, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and her most composed expression ever.
"Nothing, Kaito is just teasing me." You reply, sitting down in your seat.
"Oh, I love it when you tease each other. It's like a soap opera between husband and wife."
Reina looks up as she sets her backpack down on the desk. "Soap opera? I'd say 'romantic comedy with a protagonist who doesn't understand anything about feelings.'"
She gives you an annoying little smile. Then you sigh. "Good morning to you too, Reina."
"Good morning, rival #1."
You stare at each other for a second, your lip curling upward in defiance, then Tess, as usual, intervenes peacefully. "Come on, girls, it's Monday morning, don't kill yourselves before class. I have more interesting news!"
"Hmm?" Kaito turns to her. "Like?"
Tess smirks. "Unfortunately, boys aren't invited."
Kaito shrugs, then turns to the blackboard.
"Girls, listen up."
You and Reina move closer to Tess, until your shoulders are touching her. "So, I've organized a little party this weekend. Nothing illegal, I promise! Just the three of us from the medical ward plus a few teachers…some snacks, music, and a couple of games."
Reina raises an eyebrow. "Sorry, girls, I'm out. I have to go see my dad in Shinjuku, I'll be back next week."
"Oh, okay. Next time, then."
"Sure!"
Reina returns to her seat, looking down at her notes.
"Yeah, I guess you're talking about truth or dare games, right?" You joke about it when Tess bursts out laughing and elbows you.
"Come on, what was I supposed to tell her? That it's just going to be a sex party?"
You look at her seriously. "I'll pass."
"No, come on, you can't back out," Tess replies, clapping her hands. "It's medical ward tradition to relax after internships. And then…"
Her gaze flicks between you and Kaito, then she smiles in a strange way, a little too innocent. "There are matters of the heart to settle, right?"
You blush slightly. "Stop it, Tess. There's no…issue."
"Yeah, yeah, and Aizawa-sensei is my classmate." Tess bursts out laughing, grabbing you by the sleeve of your jacket.
Kaito coughs at the professor's name, looking up from his algebra textbook. "Oh, yeah, the great and mysterious Aizawa-sensei... does he still send you messages at 3 a.m.?"
"He sends me assignment and internship schedules," you reply defensively. "It's nothing personal."
"Mm, yeah, sure. And he looks at you with the same expression he looks at a notebook," Reina mutters sarcastically, though your rival #1's tone is a hint of complicity.
"Are you guys trolling me?"
Tess laughs again. "Girls, girls…I swear, if Aizawa-sensei heard you, he'd have us sweep the yard for a month. Stop talking about him."
Suddenly, the sliding door opens just at that moment. Everyone in your class instantly falls silent because, just as their conversations had predicted, Aizawa-sensei enters slowly, his usual scarf around his neck and a half-sleepy look on his face. It's useless to explain how your heart is beating or what color your cheeks are. You'd be really repetitive.
Immediate silence. No one breathes.
His gaze rests on all of you, serious and frowning. Then, strangely, he lingers a moment longer on… you. You!? Just a moment, but Tess notices. In fact, she slaps you on the elbow, secretly.
You straighten up, pretending to leaf through your biology book. Your heart, however, is pounding and you feel…on cloud nine.
The sensei, after a few minutes of silent lecture, clears his throat. "Good. Before you start getting distracted, as is your wont, I'll let you know that next week there will be a practical project between departments. You'll be working with students from the combatives course. You'll be providing medical support in a simulated mission."
Oh, holy shit! I mean, you're going to have to work with Ryota? That's bad news. There's a murmur in the room. Reina's eyes light up. "So we're finally going to see those guys from Class A in action?"
Kaito sighs, putting a hand behind his head. "And we'll probably have to heal them when they break something."
"Well, that's our goal, after all, isn't it?" you ask, half smiling.
Your tender Aizawa-sensei's gaze is on you again. After realizing it, you lower your gaze, silent.
Aizawa-sensei continues: "Teams will be formed based on ability. The rosters will be posted on Friday. In the meantime, train and sleep."
You and your class exchange uncertain looks. It's the first time you've ever been paired with Alpha Team, and after the initial panic, you realize this might not be a bad thing at all. Maybe… you can use it to prove your stepbrother wrong. You can be heroes too, even if you're not great fighters. Even if all you do is save people.
Aizawa turns to leave, then pauses and glances back at you, his eyes meeting yours again. "And you, Togata, keep up with your flight training. Hawks-sensei spoke highly of you."
Oh, man! You stiffen. "Y-yes, sensei."
He gives a faint smile, and for the first time you notice the dimples in his cheeks. You're about to die.
The door closes. You tremble, your heart in your throat. Tess turns to you, with a predatory smile. "Okay, he's looking at you. I'm telling you: he's looking at you."
"Don't be silly," you mutter, looking down at the book in front of you.
"Hey, Eri," Kaito approaches, his gaze serious but his voice gentle. "Don't let it confuse you too much. Aizawa-sensei is…a difficult guy to read. But if it makes you feel alive, then…"
Reina slaps him on the back of the head. "That's a dramatic line, Kaito."
"Hey! I'm just trying to be romantic, okay?"
Tess laughs so hard it makes half the class jump. "You guys are a bunch of adorable disasters."
You look at them one by one, a small smile curving your lips. Of course, they're adorable disasters, not you. (So to speak!)