I wrote this for a patron, but scrolling back into the depths of our conversations, I find that I halfway wrote the wrong thing and that she wanted it on Wattpad because we need more Lesbians. So everyone say thank you to the amazing SUi SMADiS who came up with this amazing idea! And I also apologise for forgetting some of the details you asked me to add in. Not very responsible of me hahah (':
Third person pov
Lillian didn't want to get ahead of herself and say she was in love, but she was pretty sure she was in love.
Now, she was no expert on this sort of thing. In fact, she was probably one of the worst out there, being as reclusive and anti-social as she was. All she knew was that she was pansexual and girl was just slightly nice to her and now it was all over. Really, Lillian's standards weren't high. That being said, this girl was a special one. Genuinely nice and noble, and strong and bold in ways Lillian could probably never be. That's not to be said the freckled girl didn't find it attractive anyway. That, and the girl had a good sense of humor to boot. She was a whole package, and Lillian was being thrown overboard into a sea of feelings she really, really didn't want to deal with.
Besides, this whole thing has been set into motion when she was a child. Lillian was almost convinced meeting this girl she somehow been fate, and the girl felt the same way. After Lillian told her a brief play-by-play of her life, she'd smiled, grabbed her hands— yes, grabbed them. Lillian has almost died— and insisted them having become friends was no mere coincidence. Lillian was pretty sure that was the exact moment she'd realized she has a crush on her.
Thing was, crushes were insanely complicated. And Lillian's simple little city-girl mind wasn't properly computing. Not a gamer move.
Lillian's parents, June and Hisato Faust, had been forced to uproot and move their small family when she was rather young. The cheapest place they could get was an apartment bundled with a small shop that came beneath it. It was run down and beat up when they first got it, but with work, they'd gotten it up and running. Lillian had done most of it. At the young but bright age of eight, she'd made the decision to open a cat cafe. She'd been to one before, and had absolutely fallen in love with the idea of bringing in cats that needed homes. Cats were constantly circulating in, getting adopted by patrons only to be replaced when by another cat that needed adopting.
Her business was small but a success. It was enough to pay the bills if they needed, but Lillian's parents insisted she use the money to keep the shop running and to save the rest for the future. So that's what she did. She single-handedly ran a shop, occasionally accepting the help of a few of her most loyal customers when the rush got to be a little too much. Her cafe was quaint and didn't get a lot of business at once usually, but at times there'd be a surge and things would get too hectic for her to manage. At times her best friend would come in to lend a hand, or her best-best friend would roll up if she called to help juggle tea and crumpets.
Right now wasn't one of those busy times, however. Right now, the slow down was so intense, Lillian found herself sitting down and taking a breather. Only sitting down and taking a breather gave her time to fret over her life choices and if course, her crush. She wasn't trained for this! She knew how to make coffee, tea, muffins, and hot chocolates. Not deal with regular emotions most teenagers her age felt at some point and time! Damn nature and God for not make her aromatic. It would make things so much simpler.
"I don't know, Mr. Aizawa, Mr. Gunhead." Lillian groaned, sitting across from her two most frequent customers. Mr. Aizawa worked at UA high where her crush just so happened to attend, and Gunhead was a sweet man who looked rather intimidating for someone who liked cats and unicorn frappes so much. He was actually really cute once you got to know him, as odd as that sounded. "Sh-She said she's busy with exams, but I'm just worried..."
When Ibara Shiozaki had first walked into Lillian's cat cafe, the freckled teen hadn't expected to get a crush on her. But one thing led to another, and they started talking when Shiozaki came in a second, third, and then fourth time. Shiozaki always had on a UA uniform, which made for a good point of conversation to start off of. She had long hair made out of beautiful green vines, and was always studying and drinking herbal tea. She was incredibly nice and sweet, and had made a real effort to get to know Lillian. Of course Lillian would go and catch feelings! It was just the way she was! She'd tried-- really, she had-- to not. But then Ibara said something about liking her and her company, and now Lillian was too far gone.
Lillian had never had a full blown crush before. She didn't interact with people her own age enough to just suddenly catch feelings. Not like the singular friend her age did. Her first kiss had been with him, and it had been an experience. Of course they were completely platonic, but you did a lot of dumb things when you were eleven and sleep deprived. Now he was gay, and Lillian told herself it wasn't all because of her. Even if it, you know, probably was. She was repulsive enough for it.
"Midterms are coming up. I'm sure she's just stressed, kid." Aizawa came to Lillian's cat cafe everyday without fail, sometimes with Gunhead, and sometimes without. He'd grown incredibly fond of Lillian, and the freckled girl had come to trust him immensely. Now, she sat down and chatted with him about the simple woes of her life. This was the first time pretty much ever that she'd had something even relatively serious to fret over. Aside from that one time a cat managed to get into the vents and Lillian was the only one small enough to fit inside, but then it couldn't hold her weight and she fell through the ceiling and took Aizawa out with her. At least the at was fine, but the other customers definitely had something to gawk at.
"Yeah! Midterms are a stressful time. After they've passed, I'm sure she'll be back." Gunhead assured. Lillian didn't feel hopeful, but couldn't help but daydream a bit. She and Ibara had seen each other almost everyday for a solid month: chatting, laughing, and just getting to know each other. During that time, it had never occurred to Lillian to ask for her phone number, and now she was paying for it. Was Ibara okay? Was she sick? Was her studying going well? Lillian didn't know, and it was making her more anxious than she usually was.
"I-I don't know." Lillian averted her eyes, cheeks flushing. "What if I did something t-to upset her?"
"It's only been a week, Lillian. I'm sure it's not that." Gunhead promised nicely, reaching over and patting Lillian's head. Lillian groaned, burying her face in her arms. Maybe Ibara had just found another place to study that had better tea and muffins. It's not like she could very well study in peace with Lillian buzzing around like some annoying little fly. Was the freckled girl too persistent? Had she somehow managed to come on too strong despite not having the courage to look a stranger in the eye for more than half a second?
Aizawa frowned, sharing a look with his friend. He'd come to know Lillian quite well. He'd met her almost a full five years ago when she was ten years old and just learning how to manage a shop. She'd been determined and not the best baker, but she'd been so sweet that he couldn't help but stick around. He'd been one of her only customers, and incredibly patient. He'd watched her grow up to an extent, and didn't like seeing her upset. At all. In fact, he was pretty sure this was triggering some deep primal instinct in him that told to protect his young. Even if she wasn't really his. Ish. Okay, so maybe he had a third of the custody on a moral level since he and Lillian hung out so much.
Lillian's parents didn't like Aizawa, but a single withering look from their daughter was enough for them to ignore his presence. Shota didn't know why they didn't like him. They'd glare and just generally seemed to dislike him being in Lillian's cafe. They never said why or anything either, or voiced their opinions. Maybe they thought he was being creepy, a man his age befriending their daughter. Even though he'd reassured them time and time again that he was a certified teacher and just thought their daughter was a determined and inspiring young woman, nothing curbed their sour thoughts. Aizawa clearly didn't give two shits seeing as he was still here.
"Yeah. Everyone's been on the grind at UA, kid. Even us teachers." Aizawa informed. Lillian raised her head, looking at him with a small frown on her face. He gave an amused smirk back. He could remember being a teenager and having issues with crushes. He and Lillian had interacted on a daily basis enough-- as odd as that was-- that she'd adopted some of his mannerisms and reminded him of himself back then quite a bit. There was just something about her that made him feel warm on the inside. Caring was such a weird concept.
"I-I guess." Lillian sighed, pushing herself back into an upright sitting position. Her cheeks flushed thinking about Ibara. Ibara was a humble girl with a kind heart who was soft-spoken, but incredibly dangerous with her quirk. She was adept with the use of her hair as a weapon. She had dark eyes and the nicest smile, and clear skin that made Lillian feel self-conscious about her own freckles, even if Ibara had laughed and insisted they were cute. Thinking back on that still made Lillian red. Was this too much? She didn't know.
"...What're you doing tomorrow?" Aizawa asked when he saw she really wasn't about to get over this. He really couldn't bear seeing her sad. He refused to look at Gunhead, who was already staring at him with what was no doubt a knowing look. He was too fond of Lillian. She blinked at him, and he felt himself smile. Look at him. Turning to mush because she'd blinked at him. He didn't know! It's not like he was well versed in this stuff! Was this how his father had felt every time he did something as a child? It would explain all the squealing he'd done when Aizawa was younger.
"J-Just being here, I guess." Lillian did online schooling in the evenings when the cafe closed. She tilted her head just slightly at him, something he too did when he was considering something. It made his heart melt a little. Gunhead was practically vibrating with amusement now. "Wh-Why, Mr. Aizawa?"
"Again, it's just Shota, kid. And if you want to open the shop a little later tomorrow, I don't see why you couldn't come onto campus to see her beforehand." He said it as though it weren't a big deal, but even Gunhead knew him bringing a child that wasn't a student on to campus was going to raise a lot of questions. It was possible, of course. Aizawa was a trusted and esteemed staff member and could do pretty much whatever he pleased so long as it wasn't detrimental to the health and/or learning of the rest of the staff and students. Lillian was bright and well-behaved. Aizawa liked to think he had some part of play in her maturity as a teenager, but he was pretty sure she'd reached that point all on her own. That was just... her!
"R-Really? Are you sure you can legally do that?" Lillian questioned in skeptical disbelief. She didn't want to see Mr. Aizawa fired over her gay panic. It wasn't his fault she was a numbskull who'd forgotten to ask for Ibara's phone number. She was just too absent-minded, that's all. Lillian certainly didn't want someone she cared about so deeply to pay for that. Mr. Aizawa has done a lot for her. Too much for her to ruin his career over something as small as this, no matter her inner turmoil.
With all her doubts stacked like ducks in a row, Lillian had a hard time picturing going to UA to hunt Ibara down. It was something someone brave would do. Someone with confidence! Hunting their crush down on their own and strolling up with the dedication and gusto of an esteemed hero with years of experience. God, Lillian could never! She could certainly try, but she'd end up on the floor in a fetal position before she could even get her foot in the school's front door.
"I'm sure. Seriously, it's no big deal." Aizawa assured her, knowing it sort of was. He trusted Lillian, though. And seeing her in the morning as well as in the evening wasn't something you'd catch him complaining about. Maybe this was a little self-indulgent on his part, but could you blame him? Lillian was an amazing kid. Who was he to bar her from getting with someone who was actually decent, and not a total piece of shit? If he didn't do this, she could end up with some douchebag boy. The thought made him shiver. Sometimes, he really did feel like her parent.
"He's right! He can bring whoever he wants on UA grounds. The rest is up to you." Gunhead chirped, and Lillian could tell he was smiling. She brightened slightly, looking between the two men. "I'm sure you won't be able to stay long, but—"
Lillian lit up like a Christmas tree as the realization that they were being dead serious and this could actually happen smacked her in the face. Her anxiety took the back seat for the moment. Even Aizawa couldn't stop himself from chuckling as she bounced to her feet with renewed vigor. The cats that had pressed up against her when she sat in the booth meowed in protest, but nothing could stop her now. Aizawa tensed in surprise as Lillian wrapped him in a hug, blurting out something about him being the absolute best and loving him. It was enough to have him take a knee. Gunhead laughed boisterously at the man as he pressed his hand to the space over his chest, unable to stop smiling.
"If she didn't already have parents, of be convinced you were her dad." Gunhead chortled. "You already act like it."
The day went by quickly after that. Lillian closed up shop early just so she could go to bed at a reasonable time. That way, she could wake up and make Ibara a fresh pot of tea and a muffin. She had a whole game plan that Gunhead had helped her make. It was solid in its design and destined for success. They'd talked about every possible outcome and every single thing that could possibly go wrong, including spontaneous combustion, and almost every base was covered. Except for the one where a bear with a machine gun showed up and mowed them down, but Lillian would let it slide based on the fact that it wasn't statistically likely to occur.
As Mr. Aizawa left, Lillian once again found herself barrelling into him and profusely thanking him as she wrapped her arms around him. He patted her head, smiling slightly as she shoved a canteen of coffee in his hands for his patrol. She'd begun to do that a few months after they met, and it never failed to make Aizawa smile. Gunhead always teased him about it. Lillian was their best kept secret. Perhaps it was a bit selfish to keep her to themselves, but they'd come to a mutual agreement that her getting swept off her feet by some other pro who saw how amazing she was would be utterly horrifying. Thus, they took minor measures to prevent that.
Lillian had a hard time falling asleep that night. She kept tossing, turning, and smiling to herself. And panicking. What if Ibara was purposely avoiding the shop? If that was the case, Lillian suddenly showing up was going to be immensely creepy to the vine-haired girl. Lillian didn't want to freak her out. Was she being too stalkerish? It had been a week and she was worried. She'd just pop in, ask how she was doing, throw the tea and muffin at her, and then dive behind Mr. Aizawa for cover. He was honestly starting to feel more like her dad than her actual dad, seeing as her actual dad was vaguely homophobic and didn't like the fact that she hung out with the underground pro to begin with. When was the last time she saw her father? She didn't know. He didn't feel like a dad sometimes, and her mom didn't feel like a mom much either. Oh well!
After a while, Lillian was out like a light. It was a good thing she'd turned in so early, because she'd spent around two solid hours staring at her cracked ceiling and mentally screaming. Not super unusual, but most of the time she was so tired from the long day that she'd just collapse and pass right out. Which she was exhausted now too, but she was also panicking as well. So much for all that. She was all talk and no play. A barking dog without a bite! Or as her friend would say: "you ain't shit." This applied to her like, right now. And always. Yeah, just all the time now that she was thinking about it. Not encouraging, but unfortunately a solid fact!
Regardless of her late-night ponderings, Lillian was still up bright and early the next day, raking a comb through her wild hair a few times and pulling on some clothes. A part of her was tempted to try on everything in her closet, but knew that was mainly her anxiety talking. She forced herself into what she usually wore, jeans and a t-shirt, instead. A glance in the mirror told her that her locks of hair were just as messy as they tended to be everyday. No amount of brushing could ever seen to truly tame it. Even putting it in a ponytail was futile. Strands would escape and stick to her face, and it would frizz up on the top in retaliation.
Lillian put the closed sign out, feeling a little guilty. The freckled teen had plenty of perfectly polite patrons that came into the shop in the early morning before work. Barring them from partaking in their morning caffeine from her made her feel pretty downtrodden. Still, the nervous girl was determined to do this and get to the bottom of why Ibara hadn't come in for a whole week after consistently visiting for a month. Lillian knew she wasn't the type to dip out just because she didn't feel like coming anymore! She'd have said something. As polite as she was, Ibara was also straight forward. She definitely would've told Lillian if she didn't want to be friends.
Mr. Aizawa was there not even a minute after she completely finished locking things up, striding out of an alleyway and looking just as tired as ever. Lillian immediately offered forth a canteen of coffee. He smiled in turn, almost on reflex. The power of coffee, Lillian has come to learn, was not to be underestimated. Especially not concerning Mr. Aizawa. He valued his daily caffeine a bit more than the average person. With the two jobs he juggled, Lillian didn't blame him.
"G-Good morning, Mr. Aizawa!" Lillian greeted brightly. The man gave a small snort, affectionately ruffling her already-messy hair. That was another reason she reminded Shota of himself. Her hair always seemed to be untamed and a mess, almost exactly like his was. They had the same amount of wave and light tangle. He was pretty sure she did what he did in the morning and simply ran the comb through her hair a few times. The idea made him feel a little fuzzy on the inside. Again, damn him for caring. Though he couldn't claim Lillian wasn't worth caring for. She was probably his favorite kid and person like... ever. No cap.
"Morning, kiddo. You ready?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked her over. He was glad she hadn't tried to overdo it. She was dressed how she was everyday, and that was more than enough. Though this time she was armed with a sealed cup of tea and a fresh muffin. A simple yet meaningful gesture. Hopefully Ibara would see that. If she didn't, then she definitely wasn't good enough for lillian
"Y-Yeah." Lillian beamed at him in a way that made him smile a bit back. She unrolled the top of the paper sack, pulling out a chocolate chip muffin. His favorite. "I made you one too, i-if you want it."
"How can I say no to that?" Aizawa retorted semi-jokingly, taking it from her as they began to walk. She looked happy that he'd accepted it, bouncing alongside him and looking around as they took he route to UA. She'd never really gone this way before. Despite owning a successful business at the age of fifteen, Lillian didn't actually get out all that much. Not unless she suddenly ran out of something and had to run to the store to grab more to tide her over until an actual shipment of whatever it was came in. Aside from that, her life was spent almost solely within the walls of her cafe.
Aizawa couldn't help but feel happy as they walked, though he did little to show it outwardly. This felt... nice. Walking to work with the best kid he'd ever met, who he sort of adored and wished he could adopt, only she already had parents so that plan was shit. It was complicated. That didn't matter. It felt nice to spend time with her outside the cafe. Was that weird of him? He'd known her for so long, it felt natural to listen to her take note of things she didn't recognize or chatter about the weather. Normally, he felt annoyed when his students talked or tried to converse with him. He supposed Lillian was just different.
"Will I get to see your classroom, Mr. Aizawa?" Lillian asked, looking up at him like he'd hung the moon. Aizawa blinked languidly a few times. She wanted to see his classroom?
"If you want, I suppose." He shrugged after a moment. Lillian looked even more excited, if that was even possible. She never talked about her quirk. Aizawa knew she had one, but didn't know the details of it. She didn't seem to care to mention it, and he didn't mind much. Still, sometimes he had to wonder.
"Alright!" Lillian responded happily, making Aizawa feel in rather good spirits. He never felt in good spirits in the mornings. Was this some sort of sorcery? Hopefully Mic wasn't around. Lillian was pretty much his biggest fan, but Aizawa would rather die than share her. The boisterous voice hero would sweep her up off her feet and that would be the end of it. Aizawa wasn't dazzling enough to show up Mic. At least he had a five year advantage over the loud man, so perhaps that would count for something.
They strolled mostly in silence the rest of the way. If there was to be chatter, Lillian was usually the one to start it. Aizawa really didn't mind. He liked talking to her. Perplexing, considering he sort of hated talking in general. He didn't like to think too hard on the emotional stuff. He'd never understood it, and he probably never would. All he knew was that the closer and closer they got to UA, the more and more paranoid he got. What if she became attached to one of his coworkers and he lost her to them? The mere thought made him want to drink three whole bottles of authentic Russian vodka.
Lillian awed over the overwhelming size of the school, feeling her nerves spike. Unconsciously, she inched closer to Mr. Aizawa as they strode through the gate. She half expected a large metal wall to spring up and block her from entering, but one never did. She was able to stride in alongside Aizawa as though she belonged there just as much as he did. She almost jumped with glee when she realized she wasn't about to get snapped in two by UA's security system, looking up at Mr. Aizawa aweingly. He just shook his head slightly in amusement.
UA was bustling. Class hadn't started yet, but plenty of students were still milling about. Lillian pushed herself as close to Aizawa as she could get, eyes flickering around as they delved further into the vast campus. A few glances were shot their way, but no one cares approach while she was with a teacher. Her lack of any school uniform made her stand out immensely. Still, Lillian was determined. Ibara could hate her, or be drowning in stress. Maybe both. Either way, Lillian was getting to the bottom of it.
"Eraseeer!" Mic called loudly from down the hall, causing both Aizawa and Lillian to freeze momentarily. They shared a wide eyed look. Lillian was a big Present Mic fan, but she was the type to idolize from a distance. Aizawa didn't seem to want to talk to him either. Mic started his approach down the hall, tinted glasses glinting in the light as he grinned. "Who's that kiddo with you?!"
Present Mic had a gusto about him that you couldn't help but admire. His charisma and comedic charm were what had drawn Lillian in to begin with. His confidence was truly something to behold. Just observing it made Lillian's heart beat faster. She wished with all her heart she could be as bold as he was. It was of course never going to happen, but that's what daydreams were for. Unrealistic goals you never made a real attempt to work towards but that you still wished would just suddenly happen.
"Come on." Aizawa set a hand on her shoulder and steered her away from the blonde man and towards 1-A's heroics hall. They both picked up the pace when Mic shouted after them. Don't get Lillian wrong. Just being in the same general vicinity as Present Mic himself was totally stunning. Very amazing and loud. Lillian just couldn't say she liked very amazing and loud things much. Not up close, anyway. Not that she'd ever say that to Present Mic's face. She'd sooner die, thank you very much.
Mic slowed down slightly when Aizawa and the kid he was with sped up, eyebrows furrowing slightly. The girl clearly wasn't a student, but her messy black hair looked enough like Aizawa's to give him pause. Shota didn't have a secret kid, did he? It wasn't all that far fetched to assume he'd hide it from everyone-- Mic in particular. Still, that couldn't be the case. Right? Mic would have to see her face to know. She could have scales, or three eyes, or be a full grown adult for all he knew! Just because she was short didn't necessarily mean she was a kid, even if she looked like one from this distance.
Lillian's nerves were now on the fritz. Their near run-in with Mic had served as a slap in the face that announced to her and her anxiety that hey, holy shit, this was actually happening. Like actually, actually happening. She was going to see Ibara! What if it went horribly? Or what if Shiozaki hated her? Or was busy? Or was sick today? Or didn't want to see her? The endless possibilities had her on the verge of hyperventilating. She felt vaguely lost despite knowing exactly where she was and being with Mr. Aizawa. She and Gunhead had prepared for this, yet she was about to lose it.
Personally, Aizawa was rather happy with Lillian being here. Or he had been before she started to have a panic attack in the middle of the hallway. Eh, even then, her presence was always appreciated. Not that that detail was pertinent at this moment and time. Aizawa had dealt with many of Lillian's panic attacks. In fact, he could safely say he'd dealt with just about all of them. Lillian's parents, for whatever reason, didn't see the use of therapy or really believe that depression and anxiety were serious issues. The idea that anyone could think these problems weren't actual problems was nothing short of appalling. He'd insisted she call him anytime she had a problem, and so that's exactly what she did. Thus, Aizawa exactly what to do
"Hey, hey." Aizawa shook her shoulder lightly a few times. Her gaze snapped to him, and she blinked a few times. He rested his hand on her head. It seemed like a weird thing to do, but the gesture was so familiar that it occurred to her suddenly that she wasn't actually breathing and that she should probably do that. Aizawa offered a snort as she sucked in a deep and dramatic breath of air, because sometimes Mr. Aizawa would chide her for not taking any. To which she would insist she was, just quietly. And then he'd argue that she wasn't. So she'd breathe as loudly and obnoxiously as possible to stop his pestering. It was a whole process, to be honest. "You're fine."
"I'm never fine." Lillian muttered back, shaking her head. She had to get herself together! She hadn't chosen to be a pan in panic, but here she was, so she had to learn to cope. It was either that or death, and she didn't fancy dying before getting Ibara this muffin. Shiozaki was worth far more than that. She deserved better than any of Lillian's half-assed attempts at functioning like a human being. She deserved the whole world. Which was rather gay of Lillian to even think, but fuck her with a spoon. She had a crush, so life could lay off.
"Come on. All you have to do is hand her the food and ask to talk later, kid. You can hang out in my classroom until lunch." Aizawa said, knowing full and well that was in no way allowed. It's not as though they'd fire him. And if they did, oh well. At least he could say it was worth it. Lillian in his classroom for even part of the day? Hah! She'd be the best kid in there, and he was sure the rest of his students would know it just from looking at her. Maybe he could even tell them to take note of her behavior. Now that would be amusing. Plus, it may actually work. Doubtful, but Aizawa could hope.
"A-Alright." Lillian took a deep breath, offering a small smile. He gave her head one last solitary pat before leading her to 1-B's massive, looming entrance. The door being propped open luckily made it less intimidating, but the freckled teen was still managing to shake in her boots. Aizawa stood patiently by with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his shoulders hunched, waiting to see what she'd do. Lillian was determined, so he was pretty sure she'd make it. Though on the other hand, her bailing out was totally possible too. Aizawa hadn't missed a single day of work since starting, nor had he ever been late, but he'd be willing to call in on short notice for a so called 'family emergency'. Sure, Lillian wasn't actually family in the literal sense, but she felt close enough.
Lillian steeled herself. She could do this! It was just walking in a room and giving her friend, who she'd known for several months, a canteen of tea and a muffin. That was all there was to it. If push came to shove, she'd claim Mr. Aizawa her father and say she'd come to work with him. Surely. Mr. Aizawa would play along, right? He was practically her dad anyway, between the walking her through her panics and giving her relationship advice so she didn't spiral into a depression deeper than the Mariana Trench. Maybe he was just trying to be nice and was actually super annoyed with her. Actually, wait, no, she was overthinking everything again. Mr. Aizawa was too no-nonsense to give someone he didn't like the time of day.
Taking a deep breath and giving Aizawa a look that conveyed that she loved him but would certainly be dying as soon as she passed the threshold of 1-B, she trudged forward and tried not to think about all the ways this could go horribly wrong. 1-B was chattering and full of people, which only made this a million times worse. Nothing like a little public humiliation to get the blood pumping in the morning. At least it was early. If this rocketed downhill like she expected it would, at least she'd have the rest of the day to recover! As Gunhead always proclaimed, it was best to look on the brightside, because you couldn't see in the dark.
Her eyes landed on Ibara almost immediately. In all her plant-haired glory, she sat at her desk, graciously talking to a few of her classmates with an elegance only she could possibly possess. Lillian's heart did this thing where it flipped over a few times and then plummeted straight into her stomach like a bird dropping from the sky after getting shot a total of four times fatally in the right wing, the stomach, the chest, and then a scrape at the tail feathers to top it all off. Oddly specific, but oddly accurate at the same time. Lillian could feel her soul start to leave her body.
"Hey, do you have the right room? I've never seen you before." A boy in a bandana said, successfully drawing pretty much everyone's attention onto her. Wonderful. Just what she'd wanted, really. Hah hah... hah. So much for sliding in like a ninja and then sliding right back out like one too, unseen, unheard, and overall, unnoticed.
"Lillian?" Shiozaki was looking at her with those stunning dark eyes of hers. The bags under them were prominent, and her hair seemed duller in color from lack of sleep. Lillian froze like a deer in headlights, sweat beading at her brow. She shot a glance back at the door where Mr. Aizawa stood out of sight of everyone else. He offered a drab thumbs up that came out far more encouraging that Lillian would've thought it could be. He seemed surprised too, looking down at his hands and slowly lowering them out of the position. Lillian was so distracted and taken aback she didn't even notice Ibara until she was right in front of her. The freckled girl audibly yelped to see the beaming face of her crush before her.
There was something ethereal about Ibara Shiozaki. She smelled like rosemary and sage, and looked like something out of a fairytale. Her hair was long and deadly, but held an undeniable beauty along with it to. Her skin was such a smooth and even color, free of any blemishes. Her lashes were long and swept at the tops of her cheeks, and when she smiled, she looked positively radiant and humble all at once. How, Lillian had yet to figure out, but seeing it made her heart perform stunts that could result in her untimely death.
"I-Ibara! Hello!" Lillian squeaked out like the loser she happened to be.
"Lillian!" The girl responded in kind, positive and happy to see her. Lillian relaxed ever so slightly, cheeks flaming red. "I'm so sorry I haven't been in this past week. You see-"
"N-No, it's okay!" Lillian choked out. God, wasn't interrupting supposed to be rude and not at all socially acceptable? She didn't know anything anymore, and that was fine. Totally fine. This was cool. She wasn't like, dying or anything. On the inside. And out. Cool. Nice. "I just wanted t-to check on you, a-and bring you this."
Ibara took the canteen and bag thrust towards her carefully, still smiling painfully wide. The preparation for midterms was hitting her hard. Preparing for the more physical aspects of some of her tests kept her after most days, and exhausted her to the point of not being able to do much but drag herself home and pass out on the living room couch. Lillian was a godsend if nothing else. Ibara had never really had a crush on anyone before. She had assumed maybe she simply wasn't made for romance, but then she visited Lillian's cafe, and things changed rather quickly.
Lillian was shy in the endearing sort of way that made you want to hug and reassure her. She was sweet, nearly to a fault, and was far too selfless. She was the best listener Ibara had ever come across, with a gracious smile and bright sense of humor that never failed to make her erupt in laughter. Lillian cared. It was such a small thing, but it made all the difference to Ibara. The friendship they had together was nothing like the one she had with maybe Kendo or Komori. It was a whole other entity. It had a life of its own!
Ibara had never thought she could be lesbian. Why would she? Growing up in a strict religious family, she was raised under the belief that a man was to be with a woman, and a woman with a man. Cut and dry, that simple. It was only until recently that her mother and father clued her into the fact that being queer wasn't a sin. God wanted everyone to be happy. That's just how he was, and Ibara knew that. She just hadn't really realized how far his love stretched. How vast his acceptance was. And now Ibara was horribly taken with this cute, freckled girl named Lillian Faust who she hadn't seen in a week and may have cried over just the night prior. And the night before that, and maybe the one before that, but being smitten with someone you couldn't have was a hard thing.
Looking at Lillian's flushed face, Ibara wondered if maybe she'd misread the situation. Maybe she did have a chance.
"Thank you, Lillian." She said softly, eyes searching the other girl's posture for some clue as to how she felt. The idea that maybe Lillian could feel the same way made her throat tight. The ends of her long hair danced excitedly without her meaning them to. She couldn't find it in herself to calm them. After what felt like months of being apart, when the reality was that it was barely just a week, Ibara felt as though she was seeing Lillian for the first time all over again. It was a magnificent experience.
Ibara really had tried to go to the cafe. After realizing she hadn't asked for Lillian's contact information, she'd been determined to go back and collect it. She was pretty sure that was the exact moment the realization truly hit. Her feelings, she had come to see, were not normal feelings of friendship. They ran deeper and stronger than that. As hard as that was to accept at first, that was the beautiful yet painful reality of the situation. Ibara had hesitated. Lillian couldn't feel that way, could she? It was clearly more of a possibility now that Shiozaki was seeing her for the first time after her epiphany.
"Nice girlfriend, Shiozaki." Neito drawled from his seat, snapping the two dumbstruck girls from their respective, doting dazes. "It'd be nice if we could start class, though."
"O-Oh, right! I'm sorry!" Lillian blurted out, eyes wide. She whirled in a panic, but Ibara grabbed her wrist in a hurry before she could dart off and leave her there with her fresh tea and what Ibara knew had to be her favorite type of muffin based just off the smell. Count on Lillian to be considerate and to remember her preferences. Though, Lillian could've brought her any flavor of tea or coffee and she would've drank it nonetheless. She would've surely enjoyed it, too.
"Lillian." Ibara met her eyes and put on her best smile. "Will you meet me later, if you're still here?"
Lillian felt like she'd just been punched in the gut. K.O. She hoped Mr. Aizawa was calling 911, because this was an emergency that required immediate care. She was about to flatline. That was just how to cookie crumbled on this fine, gay morning. She was sweating, Ibara was smiling and dare Lillian say blushing, and everyone was grinning at them like they knew something she didn't.
"S-Sure." Lillian managed a flustered smile back before whirling around and rushing back to Mr. Aizawa. He opened an arm to her, twining it around her shoulders and whirling her around. She stuck close to him for comfort, smiling but jittery as well as they shuffled just down the hall to his class. Aizawa was smiling a small smile as he glanced down at her. He felt irrationally proud of her accomplished success. All she'd done was give someone tea and a muffin, and yet his heart felt three times its regular size. Not in a bad way, either.
Ibara was going to pass out at this rate. Clutching her beverage close to her chest and gripping her food in the other hand, she darted back to her desk as the class erupted in hoots and cheers. Kendo gave her some congratulations, being essentially the first to know of Ibara's gay awakening of sorts. Ibara supposed she'd always swung the way she did, but simply hadn't realized it before. At least she knew now why she'd never had any interest in boys in the past. It's because she had a thing for girls. And Lillian was indeed a very special girl. The best one around, if you asked Ibara.
"She's cute, Shiozaki! I can't believe you're the first to date out of all of us. Way to go." Tokage gave her a light nudge to the shoulder. Ibara took a few deep breaths and tried to regulate the temperature of her face to no avail. It was simply too much! She'd never dated before. It was only a week ago that she even realized she liked Lillian in a strong manner not usual amongst regular friends. Learning Lillian could feel the same was odd. Was she reading too much into this? Was Lillian just being a good friend? It was a possibility, but it was also a possibility that she liked Ibara. After all, she had to have closed down her shop to come all this way just to deliver to her some tea and a muffin.
"We're not dating." Ibara said distantly, not really registering that she'd said it.
"Yet." Kendo added, grinning. A few people whistled at that.
Aizawa ushered Lillian into his classroom just before the bell rang. It was an unusual sight not to see him rolling through the door in his sleeping bag, and instead walking in with a girl not in a school uniform of any kind. She was red in the face and looked like she might cry, but she certainly wasn't a student. Oh, no. In fact, she looked a great deal like their teacher. With dark, messy hair. Their noses were similar, as was the set of their mouth and brows. Her cheekbones slanted at the same angle his did. Their skin tones matched as well, barring the girl's freckles.
"What the fuck? You have a daughter?" Bakugo, the most vocal and bold out of everyone, had no issues asking any questions that could be potentially perceived as rude and/or invasive. Lillian jumped slightly, backpedalling. Only Aizawa was behind her, so she bumped into him. He set his hands on her shoulders to steady her, glaring flatly at Bakugo. The look conveyed how utterly unamused he was with this situation.
"Hey, you're right. Lillian does sort of look like Mr. Aizawa's daughter." Kaminari scratched the back of his neck, pausing. Aizawa tensed, eyes flickering down to the freckled teenager in his grasp. How did the blonde know her name? Kaminari suddenly paused, squinting. "Wait, why're you even here?"
"O-Oh, Kami." Lillian blinked at him. "I was d-doing that thing."
Kaminari snapped his fingers together, shooting a finger gun at her and winking obnoxious. Aizawa felt his carefully-constructed reality begin to crumble around him. "Right, right. The thing. How'd it go? Are you getting married yet? Can I plan it? Please serve guacamole. Or really anything with avocados in it; I'll take it."
Aizawa blanched. Now he understood. There was a house behind the cafe. Its back fence pretty much created the alleyway behind the shop. In that house was a boy Lillian's age who occasionally shorted the block out with their quirk. How he hadn't made the connection between Kami and Kaminari, Aizawa didn't know. It had just never... he never would've thought his dumbest student would literally be best friends with his favorite child. Fuck, how had he missed something so big for so long?
"N-No." Lillian glanced at the other members of 1-A. "But she does want to talk later..."
Aizawa brought a hand up to massage his temples. This wasn't what he'd expected, but he really couldn't back out now. So much for his worst students taking after her good behavior. Apparently, she and Kaminari had been friends for longer than Aizawa had even known the girl, and he was still like... this. He wasn't sure of he should be impressed or feel an immense amount of pity for the electric-quirk user. Maybe some of both. If it were anyone other than Lillian, he'd have a massive headache. But lucky for everyone he happened to have a soft spot for the teen, so here they were.
"Everyone, this is Lillian. She'll be sitting in today." Aizawa drawled, eyes scanning over his class. Earlier in the year, they would've blown up with millions of questions. Probably crowded her too. Lillian was fortunate they'd long since learned to fear Aizawa and his cold wrath. Now, they were subdued. Most were half asleep from trying to cram for the midterms they'd known about the entire year. He'd given them the study guide for his a solid month ago, and to his knowledge, so has the other teachers presiding over them.
Lillian obediently sat. There wasn't an extra chair, so Aizawa fished his sleeping bag out from under the podium. Lillian was eager to take it. He's gotten her one of her own, but she didn't carry it around like he did his. She was careful in arranging it, taking a seat atop it while trying to ignore the glances shot her way. After all, their teacher wouldn't hand his precious sleeping bag over to just anyone. And with the resemblance, they couldn't help but look past Kaminari's comment and assume she was Mr. Aizawa's daughter. Or niece, perhaps.
Aizawa began to teach, and Lillian was immediately enthralled. She could tell just by watching him that he was dedicated to his work. Though he spoke in a drab tone and maintained a slouched posture that gave off the distinct feeling that he was feeling bored, it was painfully evident just how skilled of a teacher he was. It almost made Lillian yearn to go to a public school, just so she could experience something as hands on. Almost. She wouldn't trade her cafe for the world, and though it was through a screen, she knew well and good that her online teachers cared too.
People eventually forgot about Lillian, or stopped caring, anyway. She was quiet and didn't do anything other than sit there. She didn't disrupt or move. All she did was watch Aizawa, just like the rest of them. Despite not being a student here and not having to worry about the upcoming midterms they had rapidly approaching— though, she did have her own online— Lillian still listened diligently. Not to diss Denki or anything, but Mr. Aizawa was her best friend. Like, her best-best friend. Which was fairly odd considering he was a grown man, but could you really blame her? He was practically there for everything! He saw her everyday without fail. Even with what happened at the USJ, he still came in, bandaged to high heaven yet still managing to somehow pat her on the head.
Lillian's mind wandered from topic to topic. Ibara was the most frequent one. Lillian thought about her plant-like hair, and her soft voice like the gentle chiming of bells. Really, Lillian was far too gone for this girl. It was actually really sad once you thought about it. Was this how she'd die? Probably. In love, alone, and sort of wondering if jumping out the window to avoid rejection would be socially acceptable. Surely everyone here would understand.
An odd sensation overtook her. Looking up, she saw why. Kaminari was doing that thing he did when he wanted her attention but didn't want to say anything out loud. He was just... staring. Only there was something about the stare that made the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end. It was almost as though he was somehow managing to produce static electricity and send it her way. Seeing that he had her attention, he started to sign.
JSL was something they'd both learned when they were younger. Having a 'secret language' most people couldn't understand had been a cool enough concept to drive them to learn it. They already spoke Japanese, so all they had to do was learn the signs to go with the words and remember what order said signs went in. Lillian was sure they slipped up sometimes, but they'd known each other long enough to understand. Nights of signing to each other from their windows had ingrained one another's habits in their minds.
Kaminari was asking how she knew Mr. Aizawa. She explained he was the man who came in everyday. Kaminari always managed to miss him, or didn't notice him when he was in. If they were hanging out, Lillian was usually hopping his fence to get to his house, and not vise-versa. Though he had helped out in the cafe at times. It was actually quite funny to think he and Aizawa had essentially ghosted one another for five years, give or take. Kaminari looked appalled to find out that this was the guy Lillian always talked about. Aizawa, in his lecture, did a double take when he saw them communicating. He knew a fair amount of sign language, and they were now talking about... Salsa? In the back, Koda looked terrified.
Class moved on. Lillian's conversation with Kaminari got more intense, turning into a flurry of signs too fast for Aizawa to follow. He knew it due to Mic, but was out of practice because the man had his hearing aids in pretty much every time they were together. Koda was frozen in the back, staring with wide eyes as he looked between the pair. He craned forward in his seat, very clearly following whatever they were discussing with a great amount of interest. The next period was coming up soon, and Aizawa would be leaving to for his break. Lillian would probably be coming with him.
"But I have an electricity quirk, so it SHOULD be possible!" Kaminari suddenly screamed out of practically nowhere, standing up in his seat indignantly and slamming his hands down on the desk. Lillian hopped right on up as well, screaming right back.
"It's fucking battery acid. Who in their right mind would willingly drink that?! For what purpose?!" Aizawa had never heard her raise her voice to argue before. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd never heard her debate so heavily.
"Science, Lillian! How else am I going to find out whether or not it's possible?!" Kaminari asked. No one said anything. They just watched on with wide eyes, not sure what to think. Even Bakugo seemed fairly lost and unsure of how to react.
"Kaminari, in what situation would you need to drink battery acid?! You wouldn't! It's battery acid!" Lillian threw her hands in the air.
"It could give me a boost!" Kaminari shrieked.
"Or an early death!" Lillian looked incredibly done, and Aizawa was immensely amused. "You know what, this is why Mr. Aizawa is my best-best friend, and you're just my best friend. He probably- No, here, we're doing this. Mr. Aizawa, would you ever drink battery acid?"
Lillian looked so irritated and annoyed, and so much like him, he almost keeled over right then and there. He kept his outer facade cold save for the a small quirk of his lips. Being called Lillian's best-best friend wasn't the position he wished he held in her life, but he'd take anything at this point. At least he ranked above Kaminari, who apparently wanted to drink battery acid. Now Aizawa finally knew how the electric blonde had lived this long. Lillian was here to heavily and very passionately debate all the very valid reasons why he shouldn't do idiotic shit. Like drink battery acid.
"No, I can't say I would." Aizawa drawled. He saw Kaminari open his mouth to retort, and cut him off. "Even if I did have an electric-based quirk."
That shut him up right quick, and he sat down with a huff. Lillian let out a sigh, sinking back onto his sleeping back and shaking her head with her face in her hands. Aizawa left her to her little mental breakdown as the bell rang, signifying it was time for him to go to the next class. He glanced at the freckled girl as she shook her head. It didn't take long for Mic to stride in, grinning just as brightly as he usually did. Aizawa knew immediately the voice hero had run here.
"Eraser! What a coincidence!" Mic said, peering right around him and straight at Lillian. "Is that your daughter?"
"No." Aizawa answered flatly. Lillian looked up, saw Mic, and then covered her face all over again. Aizawa sighed. He knew this was coming, but that didn't mean he wasn't dreading it nonetheless. Lillian knew how to speak English. She'd heard her on many occasions, and her mother was a native speaker. She'd grown up alternating between that and Japanese, and was incredibly fluent in both as a result. He took a deep breath, taking a step to the left to block Mic's view of her. "We'll be going now."
"Are you sure she isn't your daughter? Because the funny thing is, I swear the little listener has your nose, and the eyes of that one girl!" Mic snapped his fingers together. A few whispers rose in class, and some people peered at Lillian harder as though trying to see the resemblance too. Lillian stood slowly, glancing between Mic and the rest of the class with a bright red face. This was a horrible idea. Why was she such a disaster gay right now? She wanted to be pansexual in peace, thank you very much. This wasn't very peaceful. Her idol was here, a bunch of teenagers were silently judging her, and she was going to get rejected by her crush at lunch. Probably.
"Hey, I definitely see it! You guys have the same cheekbones, too!" Ochako blurted out excitedly. The class ramped up almost immediately, the theories circulating amongst them about Lillian and Aizawa being related and not even knowing it. Shoto was one of the few not interested. Even Shoto Todoroki was getting into it. In fact, he was already getting out of his seat with narrowed eyes and determination evident in his posture.
"What girl?" Aizawa felt his heart rate slow. He scraped at his mind for every one of his one-night stands. There was a grand total of three. Call him inexperienced, he didn't care. Sex was sort of disgusting. None of them fit Lillian's description. One had been a brunette-- maybe-- and the other two had definitely been male.
"That party in highschool, man. Look at her age." Mic weaved around him to get a better look at Lillian. "Are you adopted? Also, you are so cute. I'm your uncle Mic! Hi!"
"H-Hi." Lillian squeaked out, unable to reply with anything. Aizawa whirled around with wide eyes, gaze falling upon Lillian. He remembered now. That one girl-- his first time. Blue eyes, freckles, and-
"Are you adopted?" Aizawa asked, squinting. Lillian shrugged. Mic shrugged too. Aizawa blinked. Was this not a big deal to them? Because it was a very, very big deal to him! This could be his daughter! His actual, literal child! Whom he loved and adored already, and was living with a pair of strangers! No wonder her parents didn't like her. "I think I have a daughter."
"N-Nice." Lillian stuttered out. On reflex, she held her fist out. Mic bumped his against it and whistled. "Th-This is an eventful day!"
"I think I have a daughter." Aizawa repeated, staring at Lillian. He'd of course noticed the resemblance before, but now it seemed so much more vivid and... there. How had he not seen it this clearly before?! It was so... so obvious?! This was his child! Holy shit, he'd known his child for five years without knowing she was actually her child. How did that even happen? No, that didn't happen. It simply wasn't something that happened!
"I knew it! I told you you were kidnapped as a child! No baby pictures? And they refused to enroll you in a public high school? I bet your social security number is fake, and that's why we couldn't sign you up for financial aid!" Kaminari bellowed. He'd been telling her for years now something was up with her parents. Lillian had somehow developed a crazy, powerful, useful quirk from a line of quirklessness? No, that's not how that worked. Quirks evolved overtime. In her bloodline, there was nothing to evolve! If something was going to happen, it would be minor! All studies said so! That's how history had gone! Quirks started out fairly weak things and grew in time. Mutated.
Lillian ended up dragging Aizawa out of the classroom when she saw his shoulders shaking slightly, which was a sure sign he was about to cry. Mic waved to them and called out to Lillian saying they could all go get food after school was out. She couldn't even muster up the courage to look back, so instead threw a thumbs up over her shoulder. Honestly, she wasn't actually processing what was happening. Aizawa was her father? Yeah, she probably should've seen that coming. Her life was in shambles today, and now Mr. Aizawa-- or dad?-- was holding her hand so tightly she was pretty sure it was cutting off her circulation. She wouldn't complain.
"Lillian?" The freckled girl looked up to see Ibara standing there, holding a bathroom pass and looking immensely concerned. "Are you crying?"
Was she? Well, that wasn't a very cash money thing of her to do. Fuck. And in front of her crush, and father! Not that Mr. Aizawa hadn't seen her have a mental breakdown before. Though, she was quite sure this was the first time she'd ever seen him have one. The closest thing she'd ever seen to him having any sort of emotional disturbance of this level was two years ago when he was at the cafe until three in the morning trying to beat what he called an impossible level of Super Mario Brothers on her D.S. He couldn't handle it, but kept insisting he could. Lillian finally got him to let her try and proceeded to absolutely kill it in less than five minutes, sending him spiralling into calamity.
"O-Oh." Lillian blinked. "I have a crush on you."
Ibara paused, staring at her for a moment. Lillian stared back. Aizawa stared at her. It was a whole chain thing really. Lillian watched in mute horror as Ibara's eyes got impossibly wide, clearly not having expected her bold confession. Truth be told, Lillian hadn't meant to say it. Stuff just came out when she was under immense amounts of stress. Was she kidnapped? Were her parents here parents? Probably not, but again, Mr. Aizawa was practically her dad anyway. She'd come here to give her crush a muffin and some tea and was about to come out the other end heartbroken, having met her idol, and with a new dad. What a conglomeration.
"I like you too." Ibara burst out, eyes wide and smile so wide it looked like it hurt. Now, it was Lillian's turn to mildly gawk.
"...Oh." The freckled girl breathed. And then Mr. Aizawa was hugging her and crying, and honestly, Lillian was sort of okay with that.