"okay, we're going to be great!"

"remember to move back after the second chorus."

"we'll go buy pizza after this!"

"you're buying, though."

the chattering backstage was always comforting, some people were nervous while others were ready to take the stage.

i was busying myself with applying my stage makeup and marking the steps of the routine in my head to the music playing in my earbuds.

touching up the blush on my cheeks, i watched the other girls in the dressing room through the mirror.

mina was in the one next door, being separated by the genre of dance we were performing.

i saw a stage manager pop in and i pulled one of my buds out.

"alright, act 12, come out. act 13 please be on stand-by, two dances until you're on."

with one last look in the mirror, i stood up and shook off some nerves. i had already stretched and all that was left was our dance to be called.

"you ready, y/n?" an orange haired girl in my group asked.

"yeah, just a little bit nervous." i replied with sheepish smile.

her laugh twinkled, "yeah, me too. but we'll be good right?"

"absolutely."

-

"y/n! you did so great! i managed to catch your performance from the front." mina greeted me after the show.

"mina! you were good too, i only saw you from the side on stage but i knew how great you were doing."

mina engulfed me in a sweaty hug, but as i was equally sweaty, i returned it.

"let's go meet up with the boys? i think they said they would meet us in the lobby." mina said as she interlocked our elbows and led the way.

we left the dark theatre seating and emerged into the brightly lit lobby. there were multiple performers along with their invited audience crowding up the small hallway.

we pushed through, apologizing as we nudged others, and looked for the gang of dorks who came to watch us.

"y/n! mina!" a chorus of voices called for us.

it was denki, hanta and eijiro.

"hey! woah, sorry i'm kinda sweaty." i backed up a bit before they hugged me anyways.

"it's nothing, y/n. great job, though!" denki cleared up.

"yeah, memorizing choreography! and mina, you practically made the show about you." hanta added, having his turn at a hug.

eijiro then hugged both mina and i at the same time. "i'm so proud of you, guys! uber-manly to perform."

"where's katsuki?" mina asked, pointing out the missing blond.

"oh, he saw someone i think, wanted to catch up or something."

"oh, nice. anyways, i'm super hungry! should we go buy something?" mina rubbed her stomach.

"oooh, yes, let's go to that one noodle shop." denki clapped his hands.

before i got a chance to agree, i heard my name being called out.

when i turned, i saw shinsou.

"hey, l/n, i saw your performance. you did good, guess that time in the studio paid off, no?"

"shinsou." it wasn't that i didn't expect to see him here but that's exactly what it was.

his hair wasn't in its usual little bun or gelled up like it normally was, but instead, it was down in its natural glory.

i don't know why i was so fixated on it but i wanted to run my fingers through it.

"hitoshi! i didn't expect to see you here!" mina bounced on my shoulder, grinning.

"hey mina. yeah, it was sort of a last minute thing. i came down with izuku and his friends, they had an extra ticket."

"aww, izuku being thoughtful as always. we were talking about going to eat, did you want to come along?" mina offered and i almost thanked her out loud.

shinsou turned his attention back on me, "actually, i came to ask l/n out to eat. celebratory dinner?"

although shinsou's offer sounded amazing, i was with mina and the boys.

"um.."

"y/n was just talking about that!" denki joined mina. "she actually didn't want what we were going to get so she can go with you and you can decide what to eat together."

the whole group urged me with their eyes and i mouthed a small thank you before turning back to shinsou.

shinsou smiled softly, "so you're okay with coming with me, l/n?"

"oh, yeah. that sounds good."

"then let's go."

-

"you did well, i know i saw you dance when we did our project last semester but it's different in theater you know?"

"yeah," i hitched my sweater up, "i know. it feels different in theater too."

"i bet. oh, i didn't even ask where you wanted to eat. any place in mind?" shinsou turned to me.

"no, not really. anywhere is fine." i said and it was actually true.

"there's a diner nearby, we can go there" shinsou pointed off to my right.

the diner was cool, similar to the air outside. it was also colorful and brilliantly lit, lights almost blinding compared to the muted street lamps in its parking lot.

shinsou and i sat at a booth before a waiter came to our table and took our orders. very classic diner menus inspired me to order a simple burger with some fries.

"you know," shinsou began as we waited for our food, "izuku is having a thing over at his house. i think he might've invited a few of your friends but i just wanted to let you know in case the news hadn't gotten to you yet."

"it hadn't, actually, but it seems promising. is it a party or something?" suddenly remembering the last party i went to.

"yeah, he's throwing it in honor of the semester ending. it only gets harder from here." shinsou elaborated and i watched him twirl a napkin in his fingers.

"oh, right. i kind of forgot about that, with the recital and all, though the recital was our final." i darted my attention away from shinsou's hands, "are you going to be there though?"

and as i asked, i felt silly because obviously he was if it was his friend's party.

"i might consider the idea if you go," if i wasn't already looking at shinsou i would've shot my head up. "i'm not a big party person, only for the right people."

i nodded even though there was nothing to nod to and thankfully, our food arrived and created a small distraction.

"it was a pretty big show today, did you tell your mom?"

"no... i still haven't really explained it to her. i think i want to finish a year at Yuuei before i let her know what i'm studying, you know?"

shinsou hummed but ended the conversation there.

it was quiet in the little shop, sparsely scattered customers in the booths. we ate in silence for the majority of the meal until we began pointing at random people passing by our window, giving them destinations and narratives.

"i'll take care of the check." shinsou told me, holding my hand against my bag.

"at least, let me pay for half of it. we can split." i tried to argue back but to no avail.

shinsou slid a card across the counter and the cashier rang us up.

"did you guys come from Yuuei's event for the night?" the cashier asked politely.

"yeah, we did." we replied.

"that's nice, my cousin actually danced tonight. did you go see anyone specifically?"

"she's actually a dancer, performed tonight as well." shinsou pointed towards me, smile lighting up his face.

"it's nice to see couples supporting each other, have a nice night." the cashier slid the card back to us.

"oh, we're no-"

"thank you," shinsou took his card back, "take care."

i followed shinsou out after giving the cashier a small wave.

shinsou and i stepped into the night once more, heading towards the dorms.

'are we just going to ignore what the cashier said or..'

shinsou showed no sign of bringing it up so i decided to move along as well. a small buzz from my bag notified me of a text i received.

'going to crash @ hanta's new place! won't be coming home , xo╰(*'︶'*)╯♡' i received from mina.

i had been looking forward to seeing her and catching up but i guess she had other plans.

"that mina?" shinsou peered sideways at me.

"yeah, she won't be home tonight. crashing at someone else's." i responded, locking my phone and pushing it into my back pocket.

"scared of sleeping alone?" he teased and i shoved my hand against his shoulder, the warmth of his body spreading to the tips of my fingers.

"as if. i'll be fine."

"too bad, i would've offered to let you sleep at mine's." the words making my heart pang, was it just me or was shinsou being too bold lately?

"but i might need to do some cleaning before i invite you over." he carried on as if he never mentioned anything.

"raincheck on the invitation?" i managed meagerly.

he gave me one of those soft, side smiles and nodded.

"anyways, i'll let you go up alone?" he alluded to the buildings that i failed to notice we arrived at.

"can you follow me up, actually?" i turned away from him, not wanting to see his reaction.

"yeah, sure. come on."

side by side, we entered the dorms and the elevator. shinsou leaned up against the elevator's railing and closed his eyes. i took the opportunity to really take him in.

his hair was still down, ruffled slightly from the night wind, and it was brushing against his cheekbones. the bags under his eyes weren't as prominent but stood out a bit under the harsh lighting of the elevator.

when said machinery came to a stop at my floor, his eyes opened again and i met his gaze. shinsou walked me up to my door.

"thanks for the food," i turned to him. "i guess i should've taken you up on your offers ages ago."

shinsou's chuckle rang in the yellow lit halls but didn't seem to disrupt our lifeless surroundings. "i'll see you around, l/n."

he lingered for a second but it only took a second for me to push up on my toes and brush a kiss against his cheek.

shinsou looked stunned for a fleeting moment and didn't seem to be able to regain his composure. he waved with a grimace on his face, looking very uncomfortable, before heading down the hall.

i fumbled with unlocking the door before letting myself in and dropping everything on the floor.

"yikes, i can believe i just did that."

i pushed the door closed with my foot and collapsed on the couch, not bothering to make it to my bed. the soreness wouldn't be worth it in the morning but i wanted nothing more than to sleep.

there was no one home and i felt lonely. there wasn't a lot of moments where i had felt like that at Yuuei and i think a lot of my decisions led me up to this point.

there was no mina, no hanta, nobody. but i think i wanted somebody.

-

a/n: hihi! i know ,, i know but ! i'll feed y'all in the next chapter! that's all i'm asking !! i hope it'll be worth the wait‼️‼️

thank u sm for reading like always, take care and stay safe!! love yall sm <3 :))