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Lani POV:

5:05pm

Damn it. Of all the times to be late.

I cursed to myself as I jogged down the hallway in my heels, smoothing out my shirt and throwing the door to my office open.

As expected, a head of red and white hair was already sitting in the seat across from my desk, not even looking up from his phone as I stumbled inside.

With his lack of attention or greeting, maybe he didn't even notice-

"What happened to 5pm sharp?" Shouto muttered coldly, continuing to scroll away on his phone.

Okay! Soooo, he did notice!

Pressing my lips together in defeat, I slowly closed the door to my office before approaching my desk. "Ah, my apologies. I spilled coffee on my favorite sweater right before you showed up. Pretty unlucky, huh?"

His dual colored eyes barely glanced up at my frame as I brushed past him, eyeing my attire suspiciously.

"That's your favorite sweater?"

Ouch. Sounds like it should be a slam.

But, at the same time, he looks completely serious. This is the part of him I don't understand. His tone and words always come across like blunt jokes and insults, but he doesn't give any indicator he's amusing himself.

Like I said, he's unlike any hero I've met before.

Not that I have anything to worry about. There's never been a hero I couldn't handle. I'm like the...hero handler?

Yeah, that was weird. Let's pretend I never thought that.

But, whatever. Look, I'll wring all of those weird jokes out of him today and learn how he really acts.

The first step is patience. I have to stop letting him affect me so much.

Stop letting people affect you so much.

"Damn. Coming right outta the gates with the insults, huh?" I smirked unbothered, raising a brow at him. "Bold words for someone who said they needed me last night."

His sharp gaze never left mine once I was in front of him, deciding to close the screen of his phone now as I stood over my desk.

"I never said I needed you." He replied plainly, yet the words sounded like a challenge to me.

"You basically implied it."

"So did you."

"I'm not denying I was desperate." I chuckled confidently, lightly plopping my file folders on the desk. "Shouto, it's no secret you're rude. Unapproachable. Blunt-"

"And you're annoying, unprofessional, and say weird expressions about tomatoes-"

"If it weren't for your looks, I never would have even picked you."

That sentence in particular seemed to catch his attention, brows furrowing from annoyance into confusion.

"...my...looks?"

I narrowed my eyes at him in question. Surely, he's not so oblivious to not know he's extremely handsome. Woman must approach him all the time. Still, this must be part of his act.

One way to find out...

Testing his experience with the opposite sex, I slowly left my desk and walked over to him now, watching him uncross his leg and sit up a little straighter in his chair.

He kept his composure as I hovered over his sitting frame with a hand on my hip, looking up at me with those cold, defiant eyes.

Even when he scowls, he's so pretty, huh...

Let's see how that attitude holds up in a closer setting...

With a click of my tongue, I leaned down and rested my hands on both arms of his chair to cage him in.

His dual colored irises twitched slightly in surprise for my lethal proximity, giving me a clearer visual of those expressions he hides so well.

Interesting. He's even more handsome up close.

His smell of soap and peppermint drew me in, tickling my nostrils more intensely with each passing second.

"What are you..." He trailed off when I hovered in towards his face and held his gaze.

Even if he didn't finish his words, he still kept his composure, not daring to look away from my eyes until I would first.

But, I never cave first.

My lips curled with a soft smirk as I leaned in closer, almost brushing the tips of our noses together.

It was for the first time that he really studied me since I came into his life. His hardened gaze barely softened as he let his eyes wander over my facial features.

The movement of his lips caught my attention, causing me to slowly look down at his mouth. It was only now that I realized he was chewing a piece of gum, lightly fiddling with it between his tongue and teeth.

I hummed softly at the action from him, burning my eyes back into his own with more determined heat.

"Listen, you're cute." I murmured barely above a whisper, matching his unbothered face with a smug smirk. "Judging from the way you carry yourself, you must know that. You've got a face any woman would adore..."

He inhaled at the same time I spoke, and surely it was a coincidence. Regardless, there was no doubt he got a scent of the fragrant peach candy I'd been sucking on mere seconds ago before it dissolved on my tongue.

It was now that his stoic look faltered slightly. If I wasn't so close, I wouldn't have even noticed. I heard him inhale again and this time, his cheeks lightly tinged pink.

His fingers gripped the arm of the chair only millimeters away from where mine rested, knuckles going a little white as my hot, sweet breath continued hitting his face.

I know the signs of attraction, and if it were any other man, I'd say Shouto's exhibiting those signs pretty well right now.

But...

He's the first man I'm unable to figure out so quickly. In the day-and-a-half we've known eachother, he's made it very clear he despises me.

So, based on that, it's probably not attraction.

Good. Don't want to make things complicated. I'm just testing him right now.

"Nothing about your cute face means a damn thing if you don't know how to use it." I whispered hotly, watching his throat bob with a swallow.

His tongue wet his bottom lip as he opened his mouth to speak. His cool, minty breath rolled onto my own lips...

"I...know how to use it." He murmured barely audible, still holding onto such bratty defiance.

I leaned in even closer, smushing my chest right into his own—almost making the back legs of his chair give out with how much of my weight I balanced on the poor thing.

Still, my feet remained grounded to the floor, with my heels nudging into his worn converse lightly.

He breathed deeply when he felt my heart beating against his own, forcing his eyes not to wander down.

What a gentleman...

"Do you know how to use it?" I cocked my head softly. "Cause your face is turning about as red as my lipstick right now."

His cheeks had only been a light pink before I brought attention to it. Now they were a dark red, and it made me bite down on my lip to stop myself from smiling.

Yep. The ladies will love that.

"Only because I don't like people invading my personal space." He huffed out, finally giving in and averting his gaze to the side first.

Good boy.

I smirked and nodded in slight victory, slowly retreating from his vicinity and sauntering back to my desk.

He let out a small sigh from behind me once my back was turned, readjusting himself in his chair before I finally plopped down in my own.

"Look, Shouto. We don't have to like each other, alright? This is a business partnership. So long as we both do our part, we can make it work." I reassured casually, finally reaching for the file folders on my desk.

As if the moment never happened, the stoic look had returned to him once he had the time to compose himself from my surprises, looking less disinterested and more annoyed with me by the second.

"I showed up when we scheduled."

Ugh. This guy. Every step forward comes with two steps back.

"And I already said I was sorry for being five minutes late." I smiled a bit stiffly, starting to match his sour mood. "Next time, I'll just show up with a coffee stain on my boobs. Fair enough?"

The flush returned to his cheeks, all complaints being pulled from his mouth as he looked away again in a begrudging fluster.

"....just forget it."

I chuckled and leaned back in my seat, studying his innocence with amusement. "I like that look on your face. The ladies love a flustered man."

He gave me nothing more than a side glance now, looking down at my black painted nails lightly drumming against the desk.

"Why?"

The corners of my lips tugged up mischievously as I swiped a pen off my desk, leaning back in my seat and twirling it between my fingers with ease.

"Cause it's fun to imagine what makes him flustered."

He scoffed slightly at my words, running a hand through his hair and rolling his eyes.

I have no problem paying him compliments. Even suggestive ones. It's part of my job. They don't mean anything.

Shouto's attractive. Even if he was some random guy passing by on the street, I'd know that.

But, it doesn't take a genius to see we aren't compatible...

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" He muttered on cue, raising a judgmental brow at my lax attitude.

"Do you ever have any fun?" I challenged with the same vibe.

Hell, you'd never catch me dating any hero. Can't stand those guys...

This is a work relationship and nothing more. My job revolves around his appearance, so of course I have to bring it up quite a bit.

A tense silence consumed the two of us as we remained at a judgmental stand off, mentally picking apart the other's lifestyles in our own petty heads.

Guess that's one thing we have in common. We're both bitchy assholes.

"Anyways..." I dismissed laxly, opening the file folder before settling on a blank page. "You're clearly not ready for 'the ladies' part yet. For now—before we draw up the contract and become legally trapped—I mean, bound together for the next eight months, I gotta get to know a little bit about you first. Willing to answer some basic questions for me?"

He looked at the mandatory All Might figurine on my desk, puffing a hopeless breath past his lips and slouching in his chair.

"We'll see."

Gahhh, so moody. This guy's like the rain clouds to my sunshine.

Can't let it affect me...

I propped my chin in my hand and met his bored gaze with a lazy one, giving the blank piece of paper a small tap with my pen. "Okay, tough guy. How about...we just start with your name?"

He kept his hands casually resting in his lap, contemplating on whether or not he should tell me such crucial information, before giving in.

"It's Shouto."

I nodded knowingly. "Right. That's your hero name? What's your actual name though?"

"Shouto."

"...what's your hero name then?"

"Shouto."

My pen remained stagnant in confusion, raising a genuine brow of question at him. "You named your hero alias....your actual name?"

He ran a hand through his hair, softening his gaze a little as he pondered his own reasons. "It's who I am. I don't see a reason to pretend I'm someone else."

Never heard that one before—and I'm not being sarcastic this time...

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to see if there was some smart ass remark in there I was missing.

Now that I actually have the time to sit down and talk with him, I can finally figure out his real personality.

...and it doesn't seem like he's lying about that...

Hm.

"...right." I mumbled in suspicious confirmation, slowly jotting down the notes.

Shouto watched me write in silence, lightly fiddling with his thumbs as he waited for the next question.

At least he's been cooperative...

...sort of.

Actually, I have a better idea.

"Um—okay. You know what?" I stopped writing, looking up at him with a patient smile. "Why don't you tell me some personal things you think I should know about you. Alright?"

I think doing things this way will help me better understand his character. What does he deem personal and important about himself?

He nodded in half agreement, sitting up straighter in his chair before speaking abruptly and plainly.

"My name is Shouto Todoroki. I'm a twenty year old college student at UA University. My blood type is O+. My social security number is-"

I held my hand up instantly, shaking his robotic, generic words out of my brain.

What kind of personal facts are those...

"Lemme stop you right there." I mumbled a little more annoyed, causing Shouto to cross his arms at me.

"I wasn't done."

"Oh, you are. You're definitely done."

Behind his soft glare, I could see hints of confusion. Perhaps he didn't really understand me when I said 'personal.'

...perhaps he's not playing dumb at all and he's really this oblivious about social cues.

Hah. Imagine that.........

God, I hope that's not the case. Being a teasing asshole is one thing. But, being unable to retain social awareness in this business? That's career ending for both of us. It's the whole premise of his job!

I folded my hands on the desk and let out a slightly nervous chuckle, trying to explain the exercise to Shouto as best I could. "Look, you want the public to see you as warm and fuzzy—not a robot."

"Warm and fuzzy?" He quirked an oblivious brow.

Okay, he looks curious. That's a good sign. I think.

"Yeah. Focus less on facts, and more on your own opinions." I explained lightly, eagerly picking up my pen once more. "Like—for example—what's the best kind of food to eat in your opinion?"

He pursed his lips softly in contemplation, not thinking about it for more than a second.

"Protein."

"...why?"

"Because it gives me fuel for training."

I....

Not what I was hoping for.

Having no choice, I wrote down the answer in silence, becoming a little more stressed about the person he really was.

Relax. Relax. Relax. Surely, he's not really this blunt. I cannot turn him into any charming hero with this attitude...

Fuck.

"....w..what's your most common activity to do—when you're not training?" I started to sweat, mentally praying for a miracle answer.

"Sleeping." He said surely this time, causing my eyes to peer up at him with a little dread.

"Because?"

"My body needs it to survive."

Oh, for fuck's sake.

I bit down on my lip in light frustration now. The slow realization that I was truly talking to a brick wall began to set in, and so did my doom.

This was turning out to be a huge mistake more than anything else.

"Favorite color?"

"Grey."

"Why-"

"It's a neutral color."

I grit down on my teeth as I scribbled sloppily all over the page, crossing out the generic, dry answers he kept giving me like I was certifiably insane.

He watched my incoming meltdown disinterestedly, clearly not knowing what I was doing or caring.

In composed silence, I slowly placed my pen down on the paper, glaring at him lightly with my hands folded.

How is he supposed to become hero of the season? How is he supposed to surpass someone like Hawks in terms of personality and charm!? Hell, how is he supposed to hold a polite conversation with civilians?!!

"Best memory of your life?" I practically interrogated, feeling the tension between us rising with each question.

"When you weren't in my life." He retorted with stubborn sass, only adding fuel to my growing fire of shit.

His words were a challenge of defiance as he sensed I was getting annoyed with him, both of us feeding off the other's buzzing energy.

"Biggest regret?" I grit out, causing his eyes to dwindle down into more irritation.

"Saying yes to you."

"Favorite animal-"

"A cat-"

"Wh-"

"Because it's the first thing that came to my head-"

I face palmed on the desk hard now, still seeing Shouto's passive, bored face burned behind my closed lids.

There's no way I can work with someone like this and make them successful. It wasn't all an act. He wasn't ever joking or fucking with me. No...

He's really like this.

Letting out a frustrated huff, I abruptly lifted my head from the desk, blowing out the crazy strands of hair that blocked my face as I slammed my fist on the table and demanded...

"Your deepest, darkest secret that no one in the entire world knows about you right now?"

The room went silent in a stand-off between him and I. With his face unreadable, I had no idea what he was thinking until he said it.

"Shoelaces."

"What about them?"

"I'm not wearing any-"

The legs of my chair screeched loudly when I stood up in a tizzy, pressing my lips together in a thin line to stop myself from screaming.

What is with this guy!??! He's actually impossible.

Shouto looked up at me uneventfully, waiting for my next move without an ounce of stress or care.

Giving him a tight smile and smoothing out my blouse, I stiffly walked out from behind my desk, brushing past him towards the door. "Will you excuse me for three seconds-"

"Only three?-"

"Oh, for the love of—make it five minutes!" I hissed out, looking at the time on the clock with begrudging fury before walking out of my office.

The guy is so damn literal, he'll probably set a timer on his phone for five minutes until I get back—just like he did the first time we met!

The only difference is that I thought he was joking around when he did it the first time. Now I realize he was completely serious.

He was always completely serious.

Shouto Todoroki is about to be the bane of my existence.

I can feel it.

***

A/n: hope you enjoyed. See you next time!