Solstice and Eclipse: Part III

Chapter XV: Deeper Conversations

Alternative Chapter Title: The Shape of You

It had been nearly two weeks since that night. Since Yaoyorozu had confronted (L/N) and given him an ultimatum. Her heart still fluttered when she thought about the way they sat there. The way he held her hand so tightly. He started opening up to her after that. It was slow, but it was progress. They walked together in the hallway, their hands joined between them so she could act as his guide. At least that's what she told herself while trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

It was in the past few days she realized she might have feelings for the young man. Feelings more serious than a silly schoolgirl crush. Just a few days ago she had convinced him to join her and her friends for lunch. He had clung to her arm like a frightened child as they made their way through the sea of students that was the cafeteria. When they sat down, their classmates had been so shocked to see (L/N) that Kaminari accidentally fried his phone and Uraraka unconsciously started making the table float. He held her hand underneath the table as they bombarded him with questions, and later he called her 'Momo', right in front Ashido. She and Uraraka were grilled on their love life later than night.

(L/N) hadn't joined them for lunch since that day. Yaoyorozu had the feeling the whole experience had, understandably, been a little overwhelming for him. When she offered to have lunch, just the two of them, he declined. He insisted that he didn't want her sacrificing time with her friends for him. Instead, they shared their evenings reading together, huddled together in some corner of the first-floor common area, occasionally escaping the noise of their classmates by retreating to her room where they sat together on her too large bed.

There was a feeling of pride, she noticed, that she felt when people saw him with her. Like she had been trusted with something no one else had. But when she saw him talking with Kendo after training the other day, she realized that sense of pride was unfounded. Even though they rarely spoke, Kendo knew (L/N) in a way she herself never had. It made her jealous, and she sadly realized everything she knew about (L/N) she only knew because Kendo had told her. (L/N) himself still hadn't gifted her with his trust.

She tried to get him to talk to her when they were alone. She desperately wanted to know more about him. Who he was behind the walls he had built for himself. She had glimpsed parts of it before, and every peek made her eager for more. At the same time though, she was worried of pushing too hard. She didn't want to scare him into retreating further into himself. It would be a long and hard journey, she knew, but as they sat together in her bed, shoulders pressed up against one another, she knew it would be worth it.

"Do you have a favorite color?" She asked him as she stared fondly at their interlocked hands.

"What does that have to do with counterpoint?" (L/N) asked, confused as to how the question had anything to do with their conversation about the works of Baroque composer, Johann Sebastian Bach.

"Nothing." Yaoyorozu laughed. "I just... I don't know... wanted to know more about you."

"A-About me?" (L/N)'s brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

Yaoyorozu looked up at him, taken aback by his question. "Uh, because... well, because we're friends."

"We are?" He asked, letting go of her hand.

"I thought we were." Yaoyorozu said sadly, starting to become worried.

"Oh." (L/N) said plainly. "Okay."

"Aren't we?"

"Sorry." He said very quickly. "I just... I haven't had a friend in a long time. Not since...since..."

'Kendo'. Yaoyorozu thought, enviously. "Well," she said, "now I'm your friend. And as your friend, I'd like to get to know you. And maybe you'd like to know me."