*TW* Mentions of panic attacks; Claustrophobia
Chapter 11 \ Shortness of Breath
❝The way he's eating makes him look like an angry pomeranian!❞
❝WHAT DID YOU SAY, DUNCE FACE?! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! STOP LAUGHING!❞
☆.。.:*°☆.。.:*・°★.。.:*°☆.。.:*°☆
The news of All Might teaching at UA shocked the country. The media was in quite an uproar as they camped outside the gates of UA, demanding answers. Haruka was lucky to have avoided them for her first few days of school, but her luck eventually ran out when they caught her the day after battle training.
"Hey, you!" Haruka heard a voice call behind her as she neared the entrance. She whipped around to see a woman holding a microphone making her way towards her with a crowd of reporters, "Are you one of All Might's students? Tell us, what's it like studying under the famous Symbol of Peace?"
The brunette blinked at her, her eyes surfing the crowd as her gaze snapped from camera to camera. She wasn't usually this anxious when talking to people, having been quite sociable growing up. But as the people started to form a circle around her, the words got caught in her throat as she sucked in a breath, her heart beginning to beat uncontrollably.
"Uh. . ." Haruka blanked as she tried to comprehend what was going on. All she knew was that she was immensely uncomfortable, the same suffocating feeling she had felt yesterday resurfacing in a flash tenfold as the woman pushed the microphone closer to her face. She needed to get out of this crowd and fast.
A man stepped forward, his brow furrowed in recognition, "Hold on, aren't you the daughter of The Earth Hero, Gaia?"
That only seemed to spark more questions as the crowd enclosed her more. The excitement of having the chance to interview the late Number Three Hero's daughter buzzed through the atmosphere.
Haruka felt like she couldn't breathe, her mind going haywire with fear at the sudden lack of air. She started to hyperventilate as she tried desperately to get some air in her lungs. She could no longer hear the onslaught of questions from the reporters as she stumbled backwards, only to run into the chest of a man with a camera.
Flinching back, the girl gripped tightly onto her mint green backpack straps with trembling hands. She had this overwhelming feeling of panic in her stomach as her chest tightened. Her eyes scanned the crowd for an opening, but her vision suddenly blurred as she grew lightheaded from the lack of air.
Not far through the gate, Shouto Todoroki's attention was caught by the sudden burst of commotion from the reporters he had narrowly escaped just a minute ago. He glanced back in curiosity to notice the crowd of reporters circling a female student. Shouto recognized her immediately as he watched her look around frantically in panic, her taupe strands of hair flying around with the movement of her head.
Shouto pivoted quickly, making long strides until he reached the crowd's edge. He shamelessly pushed through the small gap of people to get to Haruka, not worrying about getting recognized as he kept his eyes trained on her.
"Hey, aren't you Endeavor's son?" He heard someone question, but he chose to ignore it as he reached the girl's side. She didn't see him, having squeezed her eyes shut with a shake of her head.
Shouto grew angry at the reporters' lack of regard for Haruka's state of mind as they continued to pressure the two with questions. He sent an icy glare at them all, his monotone voice sharp as he snapped, "Give her some space, would you? Can you not see she's clearly overwhelmed?"
To his surprise, some reporters backed away to make room for them to escape. Shouto gently touched her backpack as he guided her out of the crowd. He took notice of Aizawa making his way towards them, the man glancing at Haruka with an attentive look in his eyes.
Feeling as if she was having hot flashes, the girl opened her eyes to try and gather what was happening. She was met with a familiar pair of heterochromatic eyes, which explained why she felt hot and cold waves around her. Haruka's green gaze frantically snapped between his grey and turquoise as she breathed heavily.
Shouto's lips were moving as if he was trying to say something; his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. She caught sight of Aizawa storming past them, her gaze following him briefly to watch him scold the press with a wave of his hand.
Still struggling to breathe, Haruka turned her eyes back to Shouto, who was still trying to talk to her. His hands were hovering over her biceps, unsure if she'd be comfortable with him touching her when she was having a panic attack.
Knowing she was far from the crowd was enough for Haruka to calm down slightly. She took a gasp of breath to get some air into her lungs as she placed a hand on her chest. In an attempt to ground herself, she lightly tapped her fingertips against her collarbone.
"Yukimura, can you hear me?" Haruka heard Shouto ask, his voice slightly muffled yet urgent as he desperately tried to call out to her. She gave him a shaky nod to signal she could hear him now, and he seemed to let out a relieved sigh, "Good. . . Deep breaths, okay? You are all right; just take deep breaths with me."
Haruka listened to him, keeping her gaze locked on his as she mimicked his breathing. She could feel herself slowly relaxing as the tightness in her chest disappeared. Her breathing regulated, and she no longer felt faint.
"Thank you, Todoroki," She breathed out, her voice slightly hoarse from her sharp gasps for air.
Shouto nodded firmly, letting his hovering hands fall back at his sides. He went to say something when a sudden clanging rang through their ears as the ground shook slightly. They snapped their gaze to Aizawa, who was now walking towards them and away from the gates of UA, which had been replaced with a large metal wall.
"You okay, kid?" Aizawa questioned the brunette once he made it to them.
Haruka nodded weakly as she answered, "Yeah. . . Thank you, Aizawa Sensei."
"Are you prone to panic attacks often?" The man asked curiously, though his voice remained monotone. He wanted to know more about them and how they were triggered so he could help her avoid them in the future, "What triggers them?"
Haruka glanced at Shouto briefly before shrugging softly, fiddling with the end of her school blazer, "Kind of? It's usually extremely emotional situations that cause them, but I also have minor claustrophobia, so sudden crowds, really, really tight spaces. . . stuff like that. That's the first bad one I've had since. . ." She trialled off, and the two could only think of her mother when they saw the sad look flash in her eyes as she glanced down.
"Right," Aizawa muttered understandingly as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jumpsuit. He didn't want to upset the girl more, so he decided not to push the subject, "Do you think you'll need a pass to see Recovery Girl, or are you set to head to class?"
With a quick huff, the brunette puffed her chest out with determination. There was no way she was missing any classes. "No need to send me to Recovery Girl! I'm fine, honestly. It will take a lot more than that to keep me out of classes."
"That's good to hear," A ghost of a smile appeared on the man's lips just as quickly as it was gone. "Now head on up to the classroom, you two. I'll be there soon."
Haruka felt slightly drained, but overall, she felt well enough to participate in class. She made her way to classroom 1-A with Shouto in a comfortable silence. She knew that the heterochromatic boy wasn't much of a conversationalist, but that was all right with her as long as he didn't ignore her on purpose again.
"Thank you again, Todoroki," the brunette said earnestly as they manoeuvred through the halls. She smiled softly at Shouto as she glanced over in his direction. "If you hadn't helped me out of that crowd, I more than likely would have fainted or something. So I really appreciate it."
Shouto shook his head at the girl as he readjusted the strap of his messenger bag before waving an almost dismissive hand at her, "Ah, do not worry about it, Yukimura. . . If you are comfortable with sharing, is there something that helps you relax, or maybe some form of relief to your panic attacks? Perhaps I can help further by understanding ways to support you when it happens."
Haruka stared at the boy in disbelief momentarily, sensing a slight tingling sensation reverberating from her chest to her stomach. She was in awe at his willingness to help her, and she couldn't stop her cheeks from turning a light shade of pink, "Oh, um, sure! I don't mind, but you really don't have to worry about it."
"It's okay. I want to help," Shouto nodded amiably, his kaleidoscopic eyes glancing at the girl softly.
Haruka smiled gently as she bobbed her head slightly, "All right. . . During my panic attacks, I usually get hot and cold flashes, so a consistent flow of temperature is nice to have. Katsuki helps a lot this way since his hands are so warm from his Quirk. He just has to place his hand right here, and it helps immensely," She explained to Shouto as she demonstrated by placing a hand on the top of her head. "That's just about it, really. There's not much anyone can do; I tend to calm myself down relatively quick."
"I will make sure to keep it in mind," Shouto reassured the girl as he slid open the door to Class 1-A, allowing Haruka to enter first as he stepped aside with one hand on the doorway and the other on the strap of his messenger bag.
The two of them were greeted warmly by a handful of their classmates once they entered the classroom. Shouto simply nodded in response, not bothering to speak as he left Haruka's side to make his way to his seat.
Haruka briefly conversed with Mina, Kirishima, and Kaminari before heading for her seat by looping around the back of the class to avoid Mineta. She greeted everyone in the back of the first two rows with a gentle smile and wave in passing.
Once she sat down in her seat, she leaned forward to greet the raven-haired girl before her, "Good morning, Yaoyorozu. How are you today?"
The girl turned around in surprise at the sudden greeting. She gaped at the brunette for a second before a small smile overtook the look of shock on her face, "Good morning to you as well, Yukimura. I am doing well so far; how about yourself?"
Haruka blinked slightly at the courtesy Yaoyorozu held, not used to such a well-mannered exchange. She gave a bright smile nonetheless with a slight tilt of her head, "I'm all right, thank you for asking!"
Aizawa soon entered the classroom to begin homeroom, where he started by commenting on the battle training, "Decent work on yesterday's combat training, you guys. I saw the video feeds and went over each of your team's results. Bakugou."
Haruka held her breath, her eyes careening to look at the back of the abrasive blonde's head as his shoulders tensed from their teacher singling him out, "You're talented. So don't sulk like a child about your loss, okay?"
"Yeah, whatever," Katsuki replied after a moment as he turned to look out the window indifferently. To others, it may seem like he didn't care what Aizawa had to say, but Haruka knew he was taking him seriously.
"And Midoriya," Aizawa spoke, singling out yet another one of her friends. "I see the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again. Work harder. And don't give me the excuse that you don't have control over your Quirk. That line's already getting old. You can't keep breaking your body while training here. But your Quirk will be really useful if you can get a handle on it. So show a little urgency, huh?"
Haruka couldn't help the slight smile on her face as the determination seeped through Izuku's voice as he exclaimed, "Right!"
"Let's get down to business. Our first task will decide your future," Aizawa continued, sending a wave of anxious thoughts around the class. "You all need to pick a class representative."
Most of the class sighed in relief when they realized it was just normal school activities. Haruka immediately thought of Yaoyorozu when it came to being class representative. From what she had seen of the girl, she was very observant and certainly had the dedication a leader should have. She was clever and quite strategic in her thinking, albeit a bit serious at times, but she seemed like a sweet girl overall.
The class erupted into chatter as everyone desired to be the class representative. Haruka understood why; it was a position most agencies would look at in determining interns, as it proved you'd be able to lead a team like a real pro. She didn't want the position nearly as much as her peers, not thinking she'd be good in a leadership position. Sure, she got along with everyone and was liked well enough, but there was much more to the role than that.
"Silence, everyone, please!" Iida exclaimed as he stood from his seat with his hands firmly on his desk. "The class representative's duty is to lead others. That's not something just anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader."
A majority of the class pointed out how it was evident that Iida wanted people to vote for him. Haruka didn't mind the thought of Iida as the class representative either. He was intelligent and disciplined, as one would expect from a leader.
"Is this really the best idea?" Kaminari questioned nervously.
Tsuyu placed a thoughtful finger on the corner of her mouth as she tilted her head, "We've only known each other a few days. How do we know who we can trust?"
"Besides, everyone'll just vote for themselves," Kirishima shrugged.
Haruka quite liked Iida's idea, thinking it was the best course of action for picking a proper leader. She stood from her seat, earning the attention of Iida as he looked at her curiously, shortly followed by the rest of the class as they turned their heads.
"I think Iida has a point," she said with a firm nod. "You're right, Kiri. Most will vote for themselves, but this means the person who receives multiple votes has more of the class's trust."
Iida seemed quite satisfied that someone had agreed with him as he gave her a thankful nod before turning to Aizawa, "Exactly! It's the best way, right, Aizawa Sensei?"
"Do what you want. Just decide before my nap's over," Aizawa said as he stood in his bright yellow sleeping bag at the front of the room, preparing to lie down.
They decided they would write their votes down on a small slip of paper for Aizawa to tally when he woke up. Haruka knew who to vote for, so she scribbled it down immediately.
"Who did you vote for?" A monotone voice questioned her as she went to sit back down after placing her slip of paper on Aizawa's desk. She turned to Shouto, who had positioned his body so he was facing her.
Haruka sat down as she gave him a teasing grin, "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Yes, that is why I asked," Shouto retorted while tilting his head slightly, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Haruka blinked at him, not thinking he'd completely overlook her playful manner like that, "Right, of course," She cleared her throat with a nod and checked to ensure Yaoyorozu was out of earshot as she leaned in to whisper, "I voted for Yaoyorozu."
"Oh, I did too," Shouto muttered back with a shrug as he leaned to meet her halfway through the aisle of the desks. "I figured she'd be the best suited at leading our class, and I take it you do too."
Haruka was surprised by his answer but confirmed his assumption with a nod as she murmured, "Yeah."
"Why are we still whispering?" Shouto asked softly, a questioning look in his eyes as he peeked over at the girl through a small curtain of crimson.
She merely shrugged her shoulders before whispering once more, "I have no idea."
Aizawa soon woke up from his nap and tallied the votes on the board, and to everyone's surprise, including the boy himself, Izuku managed to come out on top with three total votes. Haruka was satisfied to see Yaoyorozu managed to come in second with both her and Shouto's votes, but she was astonished by the fact she had gotten one vote herself.
"Okay, you idiots! Who voted for him?" Katsuki fumed as he stood from his seat, his teeth gritted as he glared about for the culprits.
Sero looked at the angered blond in disbelief from his seat adjacent to him, "What, did you honestly think anyone was going to vote for you?"
"What did you just say!?" The boy turned to glare at the tape-wielder, his nostrils flaring, "You wanna go, huh!? Don't tell me you voted for that little turd!"
"You're just proving my point now," Sero mused with his signature grin plastered on his lips.
Haruka stared at the board in bewilderment, her mind wheeling with possibilities about who had voted for her, "What? How in the world do I have one vote? Who voted for me?"
"Oh, I did," Yaoyorozu said almost bashfully as she turned in her seat to look at the girl, though her eyes gleamed with nothing but conviction. "I'm surprised no one else did, frankly. I thought it was pretty obvious how outgoing you are and how you get along with just about everyone here. With your affability, I figured you would be the one to have most of the class's trust by now."
The brunette was utterly baffled at the raven-haired girl's words as she gaped at her. A small scoff of disbelief left her lips as she laughed, shaking her head rapidly at Yaoyorozu, "Ah, you're so sweet, but I honestly couldn't imagine myself in such a position. I'm happy not having all the responsibility and just being friends with everyone. On the other hand, you are the perfect fit for the role. Which is why I voted for you."
"Oh, well, thank you," Yaoyorozu smiled brightly, a faint blush on her cheeks as she waved a dismissive hand at her.
Izuku and Yaoyorozu were soon called to the front of the room as Aizawa announced the results, "All right, the class rep is Midoriya, and our deputy is Yaoyorozu."
"R—Really?" Izuku stuttered, his eyes wide and his whole body shaking from his nerves about being class representative. "Uh. . . It's not a mistake?"
Haruka tilted her head in wonder as she eyed her best friend at the front of the room. She could get behind Izuku being the class representative; he was thoughtful and good at making split-second decisions in critical junctures. She was already starting to see a positive change in him since he got accepted into UA, going from a rather timid and unconfident boy to a more determined and diligent person eager to prove his worth as a hero. Given some time, Izuku Midoriya would grow to be an exceptional leader.
It was soon time for lunch as the bell rang, signalling the end of the period. Haruka leapt from her chair with a short noise of excitement when she thought about being able to order different kinds of tea at lunch. Everyone had begun filing out of the classroom, and she noticed Mina waiting for her as she waved from the front of the room.
She was about to skip over to Mina to start heading down to the cafeteria when a monotone voice called out behind her, "Yukimura."
"Oh!" She turned in surprise, giving Todoroki her full attention as she placed her hands behind her back expectantly, "Yes, Todoroki?"
Shouto stood from his desk with his usual emotionless expression, though his eyes held a glint of curiosity, "Would you like to join me for lunch? I have been meaning to talk to you more."
"Ah. . . I'm sorry," Haruka frowned deeply as she felt terrible for rejecting his offer. "I promised Mina I would sit with her at lunch today, but I can sit with you tomorrow if you'd like!"
The boy gave her a slight shake of his head, "Do not apologize for having already made plans; I understand you have other people you would like to sit with. Tomorrow works just fine, thank you."
"There's no need to thank me, Todoroki," Haruka giggled lightly as she gave him a bright smile at his understanding nature. "I'll talk to you later!"
Shouto watched the brunette back away from him with an enthusiastic wave before he returned the gesture with a slight wave of his hand as a ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. Once she made it to Mina's side, he turned to leave the classroom through the door at the back of the room.
"So, what's up with you and Mr. Pretty Boy?" Mina questioned as the two walked to the cafeteria together, the acid-wielder practically dragging the girl along as she looped her arm with hers.
Haruka looked at her with a slight pout as she furrowed her brows in confusion, "Who? What are you on about?"
"Oh, come on, I thought at least the who was obvious," Mina giggled, giving Haruka a teasing smile as she nudged the side of her hip with hers, "I'm talking about Todoroki! There's no way in hell you don't find him even a tad bit attractive, Haru."
The girl blinked at her before her face erupted into a colourful red from the thought of the boy's appearance. She couldn't deny that Todoroki was by far one of the most gorgeous boys she had ever seen, "I—I. . . W—Well, I didn't say he wasn't. . . What do you mean what's up with us though?"
"He's like a total mysterious hottie, right? But he's only made an effort to talk to you, and it seems you both have known each other for a while. Not to mention, he's only ever shown emotion when it comes to you," Mina insinuated as she looked at her with raised eyebrows before shrugging. "Pretty suspicious if you ask me."
Haruka rolled her eyes slightly at her friend's implications before explaining everything about the situation with the heterochromatic boy, from how her Quirk recognized him at their first meeting to how she got weird flashes of images of a young version of him during their combat training. The pink-haired girl listened intently as she took in all the information.
"Ooo, lost childhood friends is such a cute trope!" Mina giggled and clapped her hands excitedly as they arrived at the cafeteria.
The brunette gave her a bewildered look as they got in line for lunch, "Mina, please, I just want to know what happened and to be friends with him again, if I ever was to begin with. It's probably been quite a while if I don't remember anything about him."
"Well, it looks like he remembers you to me. He doesn't seem very social, but he's willing to put an effort in to talk to you," Mina pointed out as she turned to her with an encouraging smile. "Just go with the flow! You're practically there already; if worse comes to worse, just ask him about it. I'm sure he'd tell you what he remembers."
Haruka hummed in response as she thought it over with a quick nod. She soon sat with the girl at a lunch table, happily sipping on some Matcha while listening to Sero, Kirishima, and Kaminari talk about some video game they all play.
Katsuki sat beside her with an annoyed expression as he rolled his eyes at the three talkative boys. Haruka nudged his side before leaning in to whisper to him, "You know, it wouldn't kill you to try and make some other friends besides me, right? They are all nice individuals, and their personalities remind me of you sometimes when you're not all angry and hating the world."
"Oh, shut the fuck up, Ruka. I'm not making friends with these extras," Katsuki muttered before shoving some of his lunch in his mouth rather aggressively.
Kaminari glanced over at the blond before he burst out laughing, pointing at the boy, "The way he's eating makes him look like an angry pomeranian!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, DUNCE FACE!?" Katsuki seemed to go into a blind rage as he glared at the electric boy. Despite his apparent fury, the rest of the table laughed with Kaminari as the boy waved his chopsticks around bellicosely. "I'LL KILL YOU ALL! STOP LAUGHING!"
Haruka had to put her tea down to hold her stomach, her arms wrapped tightly around her abdomen as her body shook with mirth. Kaminari's laughter mixed with Sero's was funny on its own, and it caused the girl to let out a wheeze in an attempt to get some air in her lungs, which only made them laugh harder.
Their fun was soon ruined as a loud ringing ran through the building. Their laughter was cut short as they all shared curious looks. Before either of them could ask what was happening, a voice could be heard over the intercom, "Warning. Level Three security breach. All students, please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion. I repeat —"
As students jumped from their seats and bolted for the exit, everything devolved into chaos. Mina gripped Haruka's hand tightly as she dragged her towards the exit where everyone was piling up, "Come on, we gotta get out of here!"
"Wait, Mina —" Haruka tried to stop her from pulling her any closer, her eyes snapping around anxiously as her movement faltered.
The pink-haired girl wasn't expecting her to stop moving, so when she suddenly jerked backwards and lost her grip on her friend's hand, she turned with panicked eyes, "Haru —!"
But it was too late for her to try and find her friend again as the swarm of people jostled and pushed her into the masses. Haruka's breath caught in her throat as the crowd surrounded her quickly. She wasn't prepared for such a change in environment as she started to feel suffocated for the second time that day.
Shouto knew everyone would rush for the exit, so he stayed in his seat until he noticed a certain brunette being dragged into the fray. He recognized the panicked look in her eyes and knew that she was about to undergo yet another panic attack.
Knowing he could help her, the boy pushed himself out of his chair to follow the girl as she was hauled under the waves of students as they trampled their way down the hall. He kept his eyes trained on the brunette as he maintained a steady pace behind the crowd with a few stragglers.
He felt a strong need to protect Haruka, especially in her current state. She was his best friend when they were younger and his only friend now, no matter how much he told himself he didn't need any. After so many years of separation, he wanted to be there for her as much as she would let him. To see her in such a vulnerable condition and have no one around her notice frustrated him to no end.
Once he reached the crowd's edge, he made a beeline for Haruka as he pushed shamelessly through the hoard of people. He furrowed his brows at the state of the girl.
She was in worse shape than she had been earlier this morning. She trembled immensely, her emerald eyes scanning around for an exit as she was shoved left and right. Her hands gripped the front of her white button-up as she hyperventilated while pulling at the neckline of her shirt as if it was suffocating her.
Shouto's lips turned downwards into a deep frown before he grabbed her wrist to tug her out of the fray. The second Haruka was out of the group of people, she collapsed against the nearest wall and hugged her legs to her chest. She felt incredibly lightheaded as her face heated up rapidly from the sudden hot flash she got.
"Breathe," Shouto tried to speak over the commotion beside them as he crouched before her. The girl looked at him hopelessly as her lips quivered, her emerald eyes filled with fresh tears and her heart beating rapidly in her ears.
He could feel his chest tighten as his eyes slowly widened at the sight of her crying. He grew concerned as he racked his brain for ways to help her.
Tapping lightly at her knees, Shouto gave her the gentlest look he could muster to make her feel more relaxed. "First, you need to stretch your legs out. You need to get air into your lungs, Ru, and keeping them tight against your chest will not help."
Haruka's eyes widened slightly at the nickname slipping past his lips subconsciously, but she couldn't very well say anything since she could barely catch her breath. Nonetheless, she listened to the boy as she flattened her legs against the hallway tile. Shouto nodded in encouragement, "Good, now close your eyes and breathe with me, okay? In and out, there you go."
While the girl shut her eyes, Shouto continued to direct her breathing as he lifted his right hand to hover above her. He activated his Quirk to cool his hand before resting it lightly on the top of her head.
A shiver ran down Haruka's spine at the sudden wave of cold rushing over to cool her heated body. She could feel herself instantly relax as her body heat regulated, allowing her to catch her breath with a deep inhale through her nose.
Haruka fluttered her eyes open to meet Shouto's turquoise and grey, sighing relief when she felt her heart rate slow down. She offered him a weak smile as she relaxed, bringing a hand up to rub some tears with her fingers, "Thank you again, Todoroki. . . I'm sorry, that was a lot worse than I thought it'd be."
"Of course," Shouto nodded as he removed his hand from her head. "Do not apologize for having a panic attack; it is quite all right. I told you I wanted to help you however I can."
The girl nodded in return until she remembered the nickname he had called her yet again, her eyebrows furrowed in thought, "You called me 'Ru' again. . . Where did you get that one from?"
Shouto's eyes widened at the realization that he had used the old childhood name for her without his knowledge. It had come out so naturally in the moment; it hadn't even crossed his mind until now that he had said it.
"Oh, that. . ." The boy trailed off as he stood from his crouched position before offering a hand out for her to take. Slipping her hand into his, Haruka allowed him to pull her up from her spot on the ground with ease. She kept a curious eye on him as she retracted her hand to play with the sleeve of her blazer.
Shouto went to answer her when they heard an engine roaring and the two snapping their heads to see Iida floating above the mob, activating his Quirk as he spun towards the exit.
Haruka cringed as she watched Iida slam against the wall right above the exit sign, bracing himself with a pipe that was above his head. He turned to the crowd and loudly announced for all to hear, "Listen up, everything is okay!"
Audible gasps were heard before Iida continued, "It's just the media outside; there's absolutely nothing to worry about! Everything's fine! We're UA students. We need to remain calm and prove that we're the best of the best!"
With her panic attack, Haruka nearly forgot what all the commotion was about to begin with. She heard students murmuring to each other until someone called out about the police showing up. At least that was over with.
"Get outta my way, extras! Move over! I SAID MOVE THE FUCK OVER!"
Emerging through the back of the crowd was Katsuki Bakugou, who angrily shoved people out of his way. He glared heatedly back at a few people, but when he turned around to meet Haruka's tired eyes, his expression quickly softened into a slight scowl.
"You had a panic attack, didn't you?" The blond questioned once he reached her side, sighing when he got a weak nod from the girl. "I figured as much with this huge fucking mob. You're okay, though, right? You look fine to me, Pebbles."
Haruka offered him a vacant smile, feeling emotionally and mentally drained for the day, "Just peachy, Kat. Thanks to Todoroki, it passed rather quickly."
Katsuki briskly turned his gaze to the heterochromatic boy with furrowed eyebrows. He was standing oddly close to Haruka for his liking, his hands tucked away into the pocket of his school slacks. He desperately wanted to question him about his intentions with his best friend, but he kept his mouth shut so he didn't upset the exhausted girl.
"As long as you're okay," Katsuki muttered huffly as he briefly rested his hand on Haruka's head. The girl hummed contently, and Shouto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise at the abrasive blond's soft gesture.
Noticing the look on his face, Katsuki snapped sharply, "Shut the hell up, Half n' Half!"
"But I didn't say anything?" Shouto said in confusion with a slight tilt of his head.
Grumbling, the explosive boy glared, "Yeah, well, your face did!"
"Bakugou, that does not make sense. How can my face speak —"
"I DON'T KNOW, JUST SHUT UP!"
Haruka sighed heavily as she rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger when she felt a sharp pain, "Holy shit, Katsuki, you shut up! Leave Todoroki alone."
"Whatever," Katsuki huffed childishly before he turned to leave, his hands shoved into his pants as he stomped away aggressively.
Everything seemed to die down shortly after the police showed up to escort the press off UA grounds. Once everyone had returned to the classroom, Aizawa had Izuku and Yaoyorozu stand up front to elect people for the other class officers.
Izuku had spoken up and said he thought Iida should take his place as class representative due to his quick thinking and ability to distress the mob earlier. Haruka couldn't have agreed more as she thought Iida was more suited for the job now than ever.
Haruka felt bad for Yaoyorozu but now knew that Iida was the best candidate. He would do amazingly well in his new position as class representative.
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Hey all, here's another chapter! Hope you liked it <3
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~Eri <3