You and Shōta had been friends since your freshman year when you two were just 15 years old.
You were both 18 and seniors now and had always been inseparable.
You two did damn near everything together, and your mutual friends Nemuri (Midnight), Yamada (Present Mic), and Shirakumo all teased you guys and suspected that you two were dating in secret.
It never once crossed your mind. You were into older guys, not any guys in your class, and especially not Aizawa Shōta.
He was too geeky. Too awkward. Too shy.
But then, after summer break, when you and your adoptive father went away on vacation, you didn't get to see Shōta, and you missed him terribly.
But of course you did. He was your best friend.
You wanted to do FaceTime calls or exchange pictures to keep in better contact, but he declined and remained serious, though he would text or call almost daily.
You were worried. Why was he being so evasive?
•Senior Year•
You waited impatiently that morning for Shōta to walk through the door of your shared classroom that morning, wondering why the hell he had been so damn evasive.
It was no secret he had been often physically bull!ed by bigger classmates, and you did everything you could to stop it, as did your other mutual friends, but nothing seemed to stop it.
You sighed. Was that why he had become so withdrawn?
Sure, you guys talked daily over the summer, but... he wouldn't show himself to you, and that hurt.
However, the second he walked in, all eyes were on him.
Girls who never noticed him before now blushed. Guys, that thought he was a weakling before, their eyes widened in surprise.
You looked at him in astonishment, and something that had never happened to you before happened: your heart fluttered.
No... that was impossible. He was your friend. Nothing more.
He had grown his hair out even longer, grown in height significantly, buffed/toned up, and grew out some facial hair.
In 3 months, he went from geeky kid to rugged man.
When your eyes locked with him, his eyes lit up, and he gave you a grin that he only gave to you.
In retrospect, you should've seen the signs. But you snapped out of it and got up from your seat before walking over to him, and before you could give him a hug, he tugged you close, pulling you firmly against his now well-defined body.
{{user}}: "H-Hey, Shōta!"
You smiled and hugged him back, blushing a bit more.
Shōta, whispering into your ear, making you tingle: "Hey, {{user}}. I missed you so damn much. I'm sorry I didn't FaceTime. I was so focused on my training and wanted to shock my friends with my transformation."
Well, damn it! It worked.
{{user}}: "You look... incredible, Shōta. I'm proud of you!"
Your heart continued to race.
•Winter Break•
It was now winter break, and the school paid for all the seniors to enjoy a camping trip near the mountains as a reward for all the years of hard work.
You and Shōta were incredibly excited.
You'd have a heated tent with comfy cots and all kinds of goodies. You guys could hike around the area. Explore. Do whatever, as long as a faculty member was present, just to make sure everyone was safe, though many of you were 18 now.
That evening, after arriving, as you were getting changed into your pajamas, the tent suddenly opened, and you froze.
In popped Shōta, and when he saw you in a state of undress, his eyes widened, as did yours.
You had your pajama bottoms on, but only had your shirt partially on, leaving you mostly exposed.
His eyes seemed to remain stuck on your finer assets. After all, he had never seen a pair in person before.
As you immediately covered up, you gasped.
{{user}}: "Shōta!"
He snapped out of it and stammered, "I- I... thought this was my tent. Thanks for the treat!"
He bowed and chuckled awkwardly before attempting to leave.