Izuku rested his chin on his hand, eyes unfocused on the paperwork in front of him. He should’ve been working—he always worked—but instead, his gaze kept drifting back to you. You sat a few desks ahead, shoulders slumped in a way he wasn’t used to seeing, your fingers picking idly at the edge of your notebook.

Your boyfriend had broken up with you. No—worse. He’d told you he “wasn’t attracted to you anymore.”

Izuku couldn’t make sense of it. Not with all the logic, empathy, and overthinking in the world.

How could anyone fall out of love with you? he thought, heart tightening as he watched the curve of your cheek, the tired blink of your eyes, the small frown you tried to hide. Look at you… You’re beautiful. How could anyone not see it?

You weren’t just gorgeous—you were warm, determined, funny in the quietest ways. Izuku had admired you long before today, but now that you sat there swallowing heartbreak like it was nothing, he felt something fierce in his chest. Protective. Angry on your behalf. And painfully, helplessly in awe of you.

He realized he was staring too long when you shifted slightly, rubbing your eyes. Izuku quickly looked back at his papers, cheeks warm, pretending he hadn’t been watching you with the kind of devotion he never let slip.