"I— UM... I SHOULD GO."

~☾☘︎︎☽~

Iida and I sat in silence at our table. I felt his eyes on me as I looked out the window and sipped my juice.

"You mentioned a race this afternoon?" He said after a few moments of silence. I looked back at him.

"Yes... yeah, over at the local track." I said, chuckling. "It's where I started out. I've got a lot of memories over there."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Um, I dislocated my shoulder for the first time over there, not a very fun memory, but it's part of who I am." His face turned rather stern very fast.

"I've wanted to talk to you about that, you really need to be more careful on the track! You've dislocated your shoulder three times, three! That's not a very good image for people to have, that you're always getting into wrecks!" He moved his forearm up and down, making me stifle a laugh.

"This is not a laughing matter, (L/N)! This is life or death!" At that statement, I burst out laughing, making Iida stop in his antics.

"I'm," I said between breaths, "I'm sorry, it's just..." I burst out laughing again, lightly hitting the table with my fist, "I find it funny how you think I don't realize I could die doing my job."

He goes completely white, the shade of his skin rivaling a ghost.

"I do not mean to offend you! I'm only
saying—"

"Iida," I said, cutting him off, "it's fine, really. I know I could die like that," I snapped my fingers, "on the track." I looked down in my drink through the small hole in the lid. "But I love that thrill, you know? I have better control now than I did, so I don't get in as many wrecks, but whenever I loose my grip on the wheel I still see my life flash before my eyes."

I looked back up at Iida to see him staring straight into my eyes. The sunlight coming through the window reflected off of one lens of his glasses, making it so I only saw one of his eyes.

"It's a scary thing, you know? Feeling in control, more than you've ever felt. You feel completely free. Then you feel the wheel start slipping under your hands, or the gas not let up. You scramble, trying to gain control again, scramble to get that feeling again. You feel your heart drop to your feet and your throat goes dry. Your knuckles pale from gripping the wheel so hard and you can't help but think about everything you haven't done yet. And next thing you know, you've run face first into a wall of cement."

"It must be terrifying." He said, eyes not leaving mine.

"It is. But I'm sure being a pro hero is scary as well."

"It is, but I'm not in danger as often as you are. Mostly I'm just on patrols or catching petty thieves." He informs me, folding his hands together.

"Still, being a hero takes a lot of courage. It's one of the things I admire about you." I smiled at him, watching as the tips of his ears went red.

He looked back out the window and I followed his gaze, putting my head in my hand.

After some silence (which I was rather tired of), I finally decided to woman up and face it.

"So," I said, turning back to Iida, "I want to say that I'm sorry. I ramble a lot when I get nervous."

"What are you sorry for?" He asked me, cocking his head slightly.

"For embarrassing you on live television? I told every one in Japan that," I swallowed hard, "a part of me was in love with you. That must have been horrifyingly embarrassing for you." I shook my head, looking down.

"Honestly, it could be grounds to sue me." I looked back up at Iida, who looked at me with wide eyes.

"Who said anything about taking legal action?" He said. He sounded appalled at the notion.

I knitted my eye brows together in confusion, "Well, I assumed you were upset."

"I'm not."

"You're not?"

Iida cracked perhaps the smallest smile I'd ever seen.

"Not in the slightest. I think it was admirable of you to say that on live television." He explained, leaning forward and sipping his tea.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I was just rambling, I do that when I'm nervous. I was just really flustered because the guy I've had a crush on for the past ten years of my life was sitting right beside me and actually knew who I was." I swallowed, scratching the scar on my face. "It was a dream come true really, and now I'm sitting across from him at a cafe, I mean this is practically a date!"

He gently put his hand on mine, making me stop talking to look down at it.

"Date?"

"I... um..." I started blinking rapidly, not knowing what to do before putting my hand over my face, "that's not what I meant."

"Then what exactly did you mean?"

I opened my mouth to respond, looking away. I stopped myself from saying anything and bit down on my knuckle. I looked back at Iida.

"I told you I ramble."

He took back his hand, chuckling. "That you did."

There was a silence in which we both looked out the window. Finally, I decided to say something. Why was it always my job to break the silence?

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, and he looked at me, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"I proclaimed my part-love to you on live television, you approach me in a parking garage and give me your card, you tell me to meet you here, which is the last place I thought we would sit down to have a conversation by the way, and you tell me you're not upset about the whole thing. What was the point?" I asked.

He opened his mouth to answer but closed it quickly.

"Let's step outside." He says, standing from his seat.

"You're stalling," I observed, standing from mine.

"You have no evidence to support your claim, therefore it is false!" He exclaimed, turning towards the door and stepping out. He chucked his cup in a trash can beside the door, holding it open for me.

I tossed my now empty juice cup in the can as well, ducking under Iida's arm. He led me to a bench just outside the cafe, sitting down. I sat beside him, turning in my seat to face him as I crossed my legs.

"Well?"

He breathed in deep, slightly turning to face me. He stared me down through his glasses, making me nervous.

What if he does want to take legal action, my career would be over! Is there a way to talk him out of it? What if he's ruthless and doesn't take legal action but instead just starts a rumor about me? What if—

My thought process stop as he puts his hands on my shoulders. Next thing I know, I'm being flung into his chest, his arms wrapped around my back.

"I've been in love with you for six years and I can't not tell you for a second more!" He blurted out, holding me close.

"What? Iida slow down!" I exclaimed, trying to get some distance between me and the man so I could look him in the eye without being so red.

"You said that all you ever wanted to do was go fast." He said, looking down at me. I looked up at him, our eyes meeting. God, I must look so ridiculous. "All I ever wanted was you."

I stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"I- um... I should go."