𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐧 | b.k.

Chapter Fifteen

15.
Chapter Fifteen : Lunch

—

"Izuku? What're you doing here?"

Izuku instantly looks to the entrance to the schoolhouse. There she is, standing in the doorway, looking pretty as ever. Izuku almost forgets how to breath. His heart skips a beat and his lungs stutter to take in oxygen. After a moment, he licks his lips and shifts in his spot.

Stitching together a sentence has never been so difficult for the boy. Somehow, after a few hours away from home, Y/n has gotten prettier. Izuku can't help but take in her appearance for a second time. Her hair is messier, and she looks a little flushed in the face (probably thanks to the heat)—two things Izuku notices right off of the bat. It takes Izuku almost no time to notice that the sleeves to her shirt have been rolled up to her elbows, and she's unbuttoned the two top buttons.

"Izuku-?" Y/n calls out once again.

The boy blinks. "Hm?" Izuku licks his lips again and heaves a trembly sigh. "Oh! Uh, lunch?"

Y/n slowly descends down the steps to the schoolhouse to shorten the distance between she and Izuku. Seeing her up close nearly sends Izuku into cardiac arrest, but he manages a response. "Uhm... Would you uh, like to have lunch with me?" He pauses, but he's quick to fill the silence. "I brought bacon, baked potatoes, chicken, and some cornbread you made yesterday. I didn't know what else to bring since I'm not that great in the kitchen, but I tried! I've also brought some wine."

Y/n smiles, "I would love to have lunch with you, Izuku. I'm starving." She giggled.

"Then let's get some food in your tummy, hm?"

Y/n happily follows Izuku to an empty picnic table off to the side of the schoolhouse, where she helps him set out the food. He brought two plates and some cloth napkins, plus some utensils, but he forgot glasses for the wine. He frowns, and he's about to apologize for being so forgetful, but Y/n beats him to it. "I have some glasses inside. I'll be right back, Izu!"

Izuku follows Y/n's retreating form with his big, green eyes. He only looks away when she disappears around the corner. When she's gone, he looks around the empty space. Children are seated anywhere where there's shade, eating their lunch and talking to their friends. There are some that run around playing, and there are some that stare up at the sky.

Watching Y/n's students reminds him of his own school days. They remind him of the many hours he spent underneath a certain tree (one right behind the building, and one that still stands to this day) reading books from inside. They remind him of the many hours he and Y/n spent at that same tree studying, when Y/n would do her best to help Izuku grasp the concept of proper grammar. They remind him of the days where things were simple and there was no war—of the days where he could just exist without any responsibilities.

Izuku sighs at those memories. While he misses those days, he's grateful for the time that has passed. He's grateful that he's grown up and he's learned. Back then, he was but a starry-eyed kid who often got lost in folktales. Now, he's a man with experience and stories of his own to tell.

He looks away from the kids and back down to the little picnic he's setup. His stomach rumbles right on cue. He too, is starving. He hasn't eaten since this morning, and since then he's been doing a lot of work. Izuku finally muscled up the courage to get in the barn and tend to the horses' feet. They were extremely overgrown and needed tended to, so when Y/n left, he sought out the proper tools and got to work. Now, all of Y/n's horses have freshly shaved hooves and even some new shoes.

He worked up quite the appetite, however. It's almost as though his stomach is eating itself from the inside out, and he almost doesn't want to wait for Y/n to come back to start eating. Thankfully he doesn't have to wait much longer.

From behind a tree, not too far away, little Hana watches Y/n fill two glass cups with the bitter red wine as her companion—a behemoth of a man with a buzzed head and freckles for days—takes a seat on one side of the table. Hana watches him plate food for Y/n before making up a plate himself, and she watches them eat. She's too far away to hear what they're talking about, but it must be something good if it has her teacher smiling and laughing so much.

Hana doesn't understand all that much. She thought Mr. Katsuki Bakugou was aiming to marry her teacher, but what if there's someone else with the same goal? She definitely has some questions for her mother.

"Thank you for lunch, Izu. It was delicious." Y/n mutters as she takes a sip from her wine.

Izuku's packing up what's left of their meal as Y/n's students crowd back into the schoolhouse. It's just Y/n and Izuku in the yard for a moment, and it's time they both enjoy.

"Of course, Y/n. I'd love to do this again." Izuku admits.

Y/n smiles into her glass, "Me too."

It's quiet for some time before Y/n finally finishes off her wine and stands up. She'll brush off her skirt and fasten the buttons to her blouse before offering Izuku a hug, which he happily accepts. He happily wraps his arms around her shoulders, securing her to his body. She wraps her arms around his waist and lays her head on his broad chest. The hug doesn't last for long, but it lasts long enough for Y/n to get her message across.

Thank you, is what she's saying through her hug.

Izuku is the first to pull away—the fear of being seen by a gossip prickling at the forefront of his mind—and he takes a few steps back. "Well, I better get. I've got more work to do back at the house. I'll see you later this evening?"

Y/n nods, "Mhm! I'll be home around... half past four? Something like that—oh! And Bakugou is planning to come over. He wants to take a look at the horses' feet."

Izuku has his back turned to Y/n so that he can finish packing up their picnic, and he rolls his eyes at her response. "Why?" He asks.

Y/n crosses her arms over her chest and shrugs, "Something about a farrier? I'm not sure. But since he'll be coming over so late, would it be okay if he joined us for dinner?"

Izuku wants to say no. No, it's not okay. He wants to tell her that there's no need for him to come out because he's already taken care of the horses—who are turned out in the pasture running around and grazing. He wants to tell her that he'd like to spend the evening with just her, just like how they did over the weekend. But he settles for a hum and a nod. "I guess that's fine... But I've already taken a look at the horses' feet. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have someone else look at them, though." He mutters.

"Alright then!" Y/n claps her hands and begins to back up towards the schooolhouse, "Thank you, again Izuku, for lunch. Could we do it again this week?"

Izuku turns around to face the teacher with the basket in his hands and a sincere smile on his face, "Of course, N/n. I'll see you at home!"

The boy watches Y/n turn on her heel and walk away. Soon, she's rounded a corner and Izuku can hear the children cheer. After a moment of mauling over the plans Y/n has made for the evening, he begins the trek home.

He didn't bring a horse, so he has to walk all the way home. It's tough work, but he manages.

The entire walk back to the L/n estate is spent thinking about how all of the work he has to do. Before Y/n gets home, Izuku has plans of tidying up the back porch, washing the kitchen floor, organizing the cellar, and if he has time, repairing the wagon. He has a full plate of chores to get through, but thankfully he has quite a few hours to do so.