"Hi," you breathed out. "Table for 'Kana'? I'm supposed to be meeting a group of people here."

The hostess smiled back at you, nodding her head. "The first few guests have already checked in. I'll take you to your table. Right this way, miss."

You managed a small smile of your own as you followed closely behind her. As you waded through the restaurant, your eyes flitted around the room. It was a pretty nice place, admittedly. Not so elegant that you felt under-dressed, but it had a sort of casual-chic vibe going on.

The hostess leading you attempted to engage in some small-talk, but you were too busy scanning your environment. You realized you were a bit nervous, to meet up with these people that you hadn't spoken to in months, and with whom you'd never really been very close to begin with.

"Here you are," the girl smiled, gesturing to a sectioned-off portion of the corridor. You peered around the corner, spying a completely separate room. Probably where they usually seated these large groups.

"Thanks," you mumbled back, fiddling awkwardly with the sleeve of your shirt. You inhaled sharply, mentally preparing yourself for the last time. Finally, you turned the bend and made your way inside.

"Ah—! You made it!!"

From across the room, one of the girls had spotted you and stood up almost immediately. She was smiling brightly as she made her way over towards you, her brown hair fastened in a high-ponytail. It actually took a while for you to recognize her—she was wearing such heavy makeup that she almost didn't look like herself.

"You're early!" Kana gushed, wrapping you in a big hug. "I wasn't expecting you to show until way later, especially since my text was so last-minute."

"It's not a big deal," you smiled, hugging her back. "I didn't have much going on today."

"Well, that's awesome!" She linked her arm with your own, pivoting to face the group of people clustered around the table. "Look, guys—[Name]'s here! Try not to fight over her too much, boys. I know she's pretty and all, but you'll have to share, okay?"

You blushed deeply, suddenly wary of all the eyes on you. There was a decent amount of people already, but still some empty spots at the table. The rest would probably be trickling in a bit later.

"Hello," you greeted, timidly waving your hand. "I'm [Name]. It's nice to meet you guys. Well, I already know some of you—" The familiar middle-school faces grinned, "But it's nice to be here, in any case. Thanks for having me."

You noticed some of the guys elbowing one and another and grinning shrewdly. The flush on your cheeks was only becoming more and more pronounced.

Geez, why did Kana have to introduce me like that..?

"Oh, I know you!" one of the strangers cried out. "I saw you in the Sports Festival! You're a U.A kid, huh?"

You nodded hurriedly, but Kana had already begun tugging on your arm and leading you to the table. "C'mon guys," she frowned, "Give her a minute to settle in. You can start hitting on her later." She leaned in to whisper in your ear. "I'm gonna sit you right next to Haru, alright? He's basically the hottest guy here, so you're welcome."

You opened your lips to protest, but you were already being shoved down into your seat. Kana grinned over your shoulder before circling around the table and taking the seat across from yours. You heard a low chuckle from beside you.

"She can be pretty stubborn, huh?"

The boy who'd called out to you was sitting just to your left. You realized almost immediately that he was Haru—and Kana hadn't been kidding about the fact that he was attractive. With his jet-black hair that fell loosely just past his ears, and striking blue eyes, he definitely fit the mold for 'conventionally' handsome. He had a defined jawline, and two metallic piercings on his right ear. His lips were curled into a wry smile.

"Hi," he greeted, extending out his hand for you to shake. "I'm Haru. It's very nice to meet you, [Name]."

You blushed without realizing it, suddenly wary of how little effort you'd put into your appearance. "H-hello," you mumbled awkwardly. You took his hand in your own. "It's nice to meet you as well."

Your eyes flickered back across the table to find Kana leering at the two of you. She grinned, looking awfully smug about the whole situation.

"We're still waiting on a couple people," she said, "But they'll be here soon enough, and I've already got appetizers on the way!"

"Right," you mumbled, craning your neck to look down at the menu. Your face felt hot, and you were almost scared to look up at again, for fear of locking eyes with Haru again. He was still looking at you; that much you could sense.

Your stomach began to churn. Something was starting to feel off.

—

"So what sort of stuff do you like to do for fun?" Haru asked.

"Uhh...it depends. I guess I like listening to music, to unwind after a stressful day. Sometimes I hang out with my friends, I don't know."

He bobbed his head forward, black locks framing his cheekbones. You'd already been here for some time, and you couldn't recall a moment where his lips weren't pulled up into a smile. It had the undertones of mischief but couldn't actually be considered a smirk. It made you feel like he was scheming something.

"You're probably pretty busy, studying at U.A and all. I'm usually neck-deep in work as well," Haru went on. He paused, waiting to see how you'd react. When you didn't, he merely laughed. "I'm surprised," he chuckled, "Most people usually recognize me after not too long."

You frowned. "Recognize you? Uhh...?"

"It's fine if you don't." He rested his chin on the back of his hand, eyes gleaming. "I'm a model. I do a lot of collaborations and photo-shoots with heroes, as well. I was in one with Uwabami, not too long ago."

You racked your brain, trying to recollect. You'd never been one to show much interest in magazines and celebrities to begin with. Perhaps you had seen him somewhere, rather absent-mindedly, but it definitely hadn't made a lasting impression on you.

"Sorry," you mumbled sheepishly. "My mind's always going a million miles a minute. I'm bad at remembering that kind of stuff."

He chuckled. "It's all good. It's actually sort of refreshing, in a way. Most girls are usually all over me, especially if they follow my modelling. You don't seem to be a shallow person, which is nice for a change."

"Ah...yeah. I guess so."

You turned your attention back to the plate of food in front of you and began picking at it with your utensils. From across the table, you could hear Kana clearing her throat. You looked up and found her grinning shrewdly.

A weary sigh left your lips.

I wish she'd just give it a rest. It's obvious that she's trying to set us up together, but...I don't know.

You couldn't dispute the fact that he was attractive, but that was hardly enough for you to feel inclined to pursue him. Even with the whole front you'd put up around Uraraka, you couldn't say that you were genuinely interested in meeting someone. She'd probably been right—you were just feeling bitter and upset, and the only way you knew to take your mind off things was to try and meet new people. It was a distraction, simply put. And it wasn't even really working.

Haru smiled again, going on about something else—not that you were actually listening. His eyes were bright and clear; his hair was dark as night. Even his expression was completely different, in that it was pleasant and inviting. He was essentially Katsuki's polar opposite.

Your eyes glazed over. You hadn't even realized that you'd been comparing him to Katsuki, from the very beginning. This much was obvious. Even if the two of you would probably never make up, it wasn't as though you could forget about someone as important as him just like that. Maybe you didn't even want to forget.

"[Name]?" Haru frowned. He must've noticed that you'd been zoned out. "Is everything alright?" he asked, placing his hand atop of yours.

"H-huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." You hurriedly retracted your hand; he flinched, looking bewildered. It was probably the first time a girl had ever pulled away from him so frantically. From across the table, Kana once again cleared her throat, beckoning for your attention. This time, she looked less than pleased.

Her dark eyes were narrowed, almost screaming "what the hell are you doing??", or something along those lines. You couldn't really be bothered. You pulled up abruptly from your seat, slinging your bag across your shoulder. Everyone's eyes widened in unison. You were being rude, admittedly, but you'd just about had enough of this little charade.

It was a mistake, from the very beginning. Everything felt forced, and just plain wrong.

"[Name]?" Kana called out. She was watching you stride over towards the doorway, not even bothering to glance back over your shoulder. She called out again, more urgently, "[Name]! Where are you going?!"

You didn't respond or look back, marching straight through the corridor until you felt the chilly night air nip at your exposed skin. You inhaled sharply, filling your lungs with air. It was better out here. Less stifling.

"Are you playing hard to get, or what?" a voice chuckled. You snapped your head back; Haru had just pushed his way out the door, and was walking up to you, one hand forced down his pocket.

You pressed your lips together. "Sorry. I shouldn't have left so suddenly, but I just didn't want to be there any more. I made a mistake by coming out tonight. I had a fight with someone I cared about—two people, actually—and I think I was just doing it to get back at them."

Haru stopped before you, eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "A fight? As in—"

"I'm just not interested," you blurted out. "I don't want to be with a guy right now. That's all."

"...Huh." He'd stopped smiling now, and looked far more intimidating than you knew he was capable of. He got closer to you, and you teetered backwards out of instinct. "You knew you were at a goukon," he drawled out. "You came to a big, group date—it's pretty much implied that you're coming out here to try and get with someone. If you weren't interested then why bother show up in the first place?"

"I know, and I told you it was a mistake. I came here for the wrong reasons, because I was frustrated and—" You tried to protest, but it was obvious he wasn't listening to you anymore. Haru smiled again, but it seemed more malicious than anything else. He clamped his hand down across your wrist. At first it didn't feel like much, but it was steadily beginning to hurt more and more, and you realized that he was essentially trying to keep you in place.

"Let go," you whispered. Your shoulders began to tremble. "Let go. Please."

His lips were still locked in that fake smile. "Relax," he reassured, lifting his other hand to brush your hair aside. "We can just talk out here, okay? You won't have to worry about all the others."

"I wasn't worried about them. I just didn't want to be there anymore." You tried to pull away, but his grip was ironclad. In spite of his lanky stature, he was a lot stronger than he looked.

"Just calm down," he sighed, noting the desperation in your eyes. "I swear—why are girls always so jumpy? I'm not gonna do anything. I just wanna talk, and since it's clear that you're kind of a flight-risk, I want to get you to stay."

"Yeah, well, you can't force anyone to be somewhere if they don't want to be. That's not what people do. At least, people that aren't assholes."

Haru grimaced. "You know, you're pretty and all, and you seem quiet and nice, but you're actually kind of a bitch. You're definitely the type to lead guys on, and then act as if you weren't flirting with them or anything."

"I wasn't flirting with you! I just came out to meet people and to get away from my life for a bit! I just wanted to have a good time, and now look at what I'm dealing with...!" You tried to slap his arms out of the way, lifting your knee to try and hit him at the same time. Haru winced when your knee connected with his shin. His grip on your wrist only tightened, and it was pretty clear that he was done playing around.

"Little slut," he spat, swiveling you around to lock both your wrists together. You gritted your teeth, feeling as though you were about to throw up with his hot breath on your nape. You didn't know if you should use your Quirk or not; you didn't even know what his Quirk was, if he even had one. You were fully aware of the repercussions of a U.A student using their powers unauthorized, but did you even have a choice at this point? Who knows what he was capable of—

"Get your hands off her, shitstain."

Your eyes widened. The small tears prickling at the sides spilled over almost immediately.

Haru barely had time to blink—he was blow back in half a second, tumbling clumsily onto his back. He looked up, brows furrowed and jaw taut, only to find himself staring up into a pair of gleaming crimson eyes. Katsuki's arm fell around your waist to press you up against his chest.

He looked back down at his victim, but only for a moment. A second later and he'd smashed his lips against your own, making your cheeks burn like a wildfire. The kiss was so fast that you were left staring back at him, dazed beyond belief. He was glaring at Haru now.

"Since I'm such a stand-up guy, I'm gonna let you off with a warning. The next time you come onto my girlfriend again, I'll beat you into a fucking pulp. Consider yourself lucky."

Haru stared up at him stupidly. A string of blood trickled down his nose. Katsuki had already latched his hand across yours, and begun tugging you along. You didn't glance back at the black-haired male sprawled across the ground. Instead, you looked down at the hand grasping your own.

His hands were calloused and rough; even the touch was far from gentle. Still, you let out a sigh of relief.

Now this—this felt right.