Mind Boggled

Chapter 33

Third person pov

Kirishima was absolutely vibrating with excitement. He could not, for the life of him, sit still. He'd spent all morning agonizing over what to wear. He'd changed about six times before one of his moms burst in the room and picked his outfit for him. It was embarrassing to think about, but he couldn't deny that it looked far better than any of the things he'd thrown together on his own. She'd almost said no to his Crocs, but the look on his face must've deterred her from doing so, because she'd allowed him to leave the house without a word. Normally, she put up more resistance when he tried to leave the house in his favorite pair. 

Now he sat at a table at a cafe. Harper was five minutes late, but he wouldn't care much even if she stood him up. The novelty of being asked out by her of all people was elating enough as it was. Though, he did think he'd cry for a day straight if she by chance didn't show up. He didn't think that was the case. She'd texted him that she may be a few minutes off their scheduled time, but that she swore she'd be there. Kirishima was 101% sure Harper was trustworthy. Plus, she'd see him in class. Not making an appearance would only make things awkward, right?

Harper was special. Way different than other girls. He couldn't explain how he knew, but he did. The moment he saw her, it became clear. She was the only girl for him! She'd proved to be stubborn, and sleep-deprived, and generally blunt to anyone who tried talking to her. The brunette actually came off as rude to people who didn't really know her, but Kirishima could see past all that. She was someone who cared. Harper put other people before herself, and not a lot of people did that these days, even within the hero community. It was incredibly alluring in his eyes.

So knowing the girl of his dreams would be showing up any second to trust him with something she hadn't told anyone else in class, he couldn't get himself to stop buzzing. He continuously shifted, trying not to grin to himself. This wasn't just a date, and he knew that! It was a serious conversation they were going to have. There was a lot he didn't know. Some things about Harper didn't add up, and that had become abundantly clear in Hosu. He hoped it wasn't anything too earth shattering. The redhead knew better than to hope, but he couldn't help himself! He was totally taken with this girl, so it was only natural he'd be praying for the best. Right?

Harper didn't really enjoy running, but was sprinting down the sidewalk anyway. After telling them she had a date out of nowhere, she'd rushed off to the bathroom and slid out the window to get away. Kurogiri and Dabi had of course scrambled after her, but she wasn't an idiot. She'd locked the door. Of course, dropping an entire story down and into some bushes had left her a little scratched up, but knowing Kirishima, he'd probably find it endearing. Now she was just trying to lose her new bodyguard and the EX. Warp Gate villain that seemed to have decided to attach himself to her at the hip. He was like a toddler who was too attached to their mother. It was ridiculous. 

She knew ditching them was dangerous. Villains had their eyes on her, and she was rushing out here with no protection whatsoever. It's not like she could help herself. Harper doubted Kirishima would appreciate an intimidating man covered in scars and someone he knew to be a villain hovering around while they tried to talk. Besides, this 'date' would be hard enough as it was. She had secrets to spill, and some of them weren't going to be to his liking. The mind-reading thing was dicey, and the fact that Sero was a traitor was even more so. 

Harper slid around the corner. She wasn't wearing anything fancy. Yeah, the girl had tackled her hair with a brush, and had ditched her usual sweat pants, but it still wasn't much. Jeans and a T-shirt didn't really qualify as 'date' material in her opinion, but it's not like showing up in pajamas would've been acceptable. Was this even a date? She'd offered it to be, but knew shit was going to hit the fan the second she started hashing out all her secrets. Kirishima was a great guy who liked her-- for whatever reason, she still didn't know-- but lies were lies. Harper had been hiding a lot of important shit. If worse came to worse, she'd blame Nezu. Half of this was his fault anyway.