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Kyouka had rarely ever visited the university's school nurse. It wasn't ever necessary because she rarely got hurt or sick. Rather, she never expected an occurrence to be a lot more impactful than the usual visit. It all happened at the beginning of her third year because of her idiotic friends, and her at-the-time momentary lack of awareness of her surroundings.
Denki had initiated an arm-wrestling contest with Kirishima. The latter was obviously stronger, but the former was intent on reigning superior and beating Kirishima at least once. That then led to her giving the two boisterous students space, so she stepped back. She stood to the side of Mina and Sero, who were both cheering for one of the boys, her feet planted in front of Bakugou's backpack. His backpack being the heaviest amongst the group. Denki threw his phone at her, telling her to record his success. She had taken a step back to get both of them in frame, forgetting about Bakugou's backpack, causing her to fall. She turned her body in the last second, most of the scratches falling on her arm up to her shoulder.
All of her friends immediately ask if she's okay and she shakes off the brief pain that lingered. As she's pulled up to her feet by Mina, she realizes there's blood dripping down her arm, due to a nasty scratch on her shoulder. She pulled her sleeve up the wound appearing pink, the skin rough around the edges followed by fewer scratches around it. She cringed at the sight, excusing herself to go to the nurse's station for a band aid. Unknowing that it'd land her in a kind of awkward yet pleasant scenario that her friends would end up teasing her for, even years later.
-
"Hey," Kyouka called into the room, awkwardly stepping inside. "Can I have a band aid?" She asked, her eyes glancing over the one student that was in the nurse's office. He seemed to be resting on one of the beds, an icepack on his head. His head was tilted to the side as a little drool fell from his mouth. He was definitely asleep.
A voice called out from the other side of the room, her figure covered by the curtain. She was currently writing something down. "What happened?" She asked, her voice sounding soft, almost calming. "Do you need a big or small bandage?" She moved over to the side, opening a small cupboard.
"Big, I guess," Kyouka answered, the wound definitely being too big to be covered by the usual bandage. She glanced at her arm, the one that was holding down the wound. "Oh, also an alcohol wipe. Thank you."
"What happened?" She asked. Kyouka could hear shuffling as she got out the two things.
"I tripped."
She stepped aside the curtain, pulling it aside, as she approached the student. Kyouka's eyes slightly widened as she saw her. She was definitely not what Kyouka was expecting. She looked young, maybe around her age, a ponytail pulling her hair up exposing her soft jaw. Her eyes were gentle, her kind face suiting her voice well. Kyouka gulped nervously.
She was pretty. Really pretty.
As soon as the thought occurred, she shook it away as if the school nurse could read her thoughts. How inappropriate.
"May I see the wound?" She asked, as she stepped closer.
Kyouka could only slowly nod her head, pulling up her sleeve exposing the bloody wound. She looked up at the ceiling acting as if it was particularly interesting.
"This won't do," the school nurse sighed. "I'll clean the wound for you. Can you sit down over there for me?" She pointed to a vacant bed, before going back behind the curtain to get her supplies.
Kyouka sat down, her foot bouncing up and down in a repetitive motion. Her brain reeling over the fact that she just found the school nurse ridiculously attractive. The sound of the fact alone makes her feel rather creepy, if not weird, even though she was the student in this scenario.
After having gotten all the supplies she needs, she sits right by Kyouka on a small stool. Kyouka nervously gulped as their knees touched. The nurse's soft fingers brushed past her skin, cleaning up the blood that dripped past her sleeve.
"I'm going to pull up your sleeve, okay?" Her tone dropped, just above a whisper. She looked up to meet Kyouka's gaze as she asked, giving a small friendly smile.
The fact Kyouka found the school nurse attractive made every single action seem so much more intense. As if every brush past her skin would burn, leaving her a flustered mess. Or the way she tucked a strand behind her ear would end up being replayed in her mind a lot more than she'd like to admit.
Kyouka nodded, letting her pull up her sleeve, moving it past her shoulder. She started by cleaning her wound, making sure to be gentle on the skin, careful to not make it worse. She moved the wipe down to the smaller scratches that weren't even bleeding. Her other hand, holding up her arm, making the shorter of the two almost shiver.
Kyouka looked to the side, feeling almost awkward watching her do her job. She didn't even know her name as they didn't wear name tags. The silence continued on as the school nurse put down Kyouka's arm. She opened a small bottle of antiseptic cream, dipping in a cotton bud. Her soft hands returned as she leaned in closer to apply it to her wound.
As another beat of silence passed Kyouka felt like she had to break it. "You, uh, you look way too young to be a school nurse." Kyouka started. Her eyes that were once trained on the plain white ceiling, glanced at the school nurse momentarily. "How old are you?" She genuinely asked. It was easier to talk to her due to it being glaringly obvious that she wasn't close to the age of any of her teachers. Though, it wasn't like she ever struggled to talk to her superiors, having gotten used to the action over the years. If anything, what made her most nervous was the fact that the nurse was attractive to an unfair degree. Maybe she was fixating on that apparent fact more than she should.
The moment the question processed in her mind Kyouka internally cursed herself out. It might've even been better if she asked instead how her day was.
The nurse's onyx eyes squint momentarily meeting Kyouka's eyes, before shifting back to her work. "That may be an inappropriate question to ask the school nurse," she answered easily.
"Oh," Kyouka paused, shifting slightly. "Sorry about that."
A beat of silence passed.
"Though, in my case, it's understandable," she continued. "I'm 22 years old."
"What?!" Kyouka squeaked, her voice unintentionally coming out higher than she'd like. "I can't be older than you. I'm 23."
She chuckled the sound airy as it went past her lips, "why can't I be older than you?" As she asked the question, she looked up to meet Kyouka's gaze, smiling.
Kyouka let out a shaky breath, unconsciously stiffening due to the necessary closeness as the school nurse patched her wound. "It seems weird when I'm in my third year of university and you're literally a part of the school's staff." She let out, hating the sound of her voice as it came out softly.
"Kind of."
"Kind of?" She repeated. "What do you mean?"
"The school's usual nurse is on maternity leave, so I'm stepping in for just a few months." She explained. "After this I should be starting up work in a hospital nearby."
"Wow," Kyouka said, genuinely impressed. "You must be really smart to already have your nursing degree." She paused, as she looked back at her shoulder. The school nurse was starting to cover her wound. As she set down her arm she moved away from her, putting back her supplies.
"Thank you," the nurse uttered. "I was lucky enough to have gotten into a good college is all."
"I'm almost kind of jealous of you," Kyouka admitted. "You're barely in your 20s and already have a successful job. You must've worked really hard to get where you are." She acknowledged, smiling as she returned to her seat after putting back the supplies. "I honestly don't even know if what I'm majoring in is for me."
"What's your major?" She asked, tilting her head slightly as she listened to Kyouka.
"I started off in communications, but switched to audio engineering in my second year," her gaze faltered. It felt weird to be talking to the school nurse about this, but at the same time it was rather comfortable. Maybe it was their similarity in age. "I'm really passionate about music, so I know I want to work within that field at least." She paused as she met her gaze, gulping. She couldn't help but ask herself if this was inappropriate, pointless, or if she was just simply wasting the school nurse's time. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling, I'll just let you go back to your work-"
She paused, her words left unsaid as the school nurse gently eased her down with a brief touch to her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I don't mind talking. It beats sitting in a room, just waiting for somebody to come, honestly."
"Not many people visiting the nurse's office?" She teased before, biting back a smile. "Also thanks ma'am." She stumbled through the words, not even sure how she was supposed to address the school nurse, especially since the staff didn't have any name tags.
A blush coated her cheeks as she lightly chuckled. "Oh gosh, don't call me ma'am." She said, "My name is Momo Yaoyorozu." Yaoyorozu had even extended her hand out towards her for a friendly handshake. "I suppose, given the formality, you can just call me Nurse or Ms. Yaoyorozu."
Kyouka shook her hand, hating how she internally noted how soft her hand was. "Kyouka Jirou."
"Well," Yaoyorozu started. "Regarding your major. Why are you currently hesitating on it?"
God, she had even bothered bringing up the previous topic, just to make sure she was okay. If Kyouka wasn't doomed then she would be now.
"I don't know," she sighed. "Sometimes it's just hard to be sure in life, you know? I mean, I am liking the course so far, and it's easy enough. I guess I'm just mainly worried about the future."
"Yeah, I get what you mean." Yaoyorozu's gaze faltered as she sadly smiled. "The future is scary. You're never sure where it'll end up taking you." She met her gaze again. "But, a part of living is believing in yourself and working towards that future. Whether you have a goal or not it's good to work towards something. It already means a lot that you seem to have some sort of plan or idea."
"I guess," Kyouka uttered. "What made you get into nursing?"
"I graduated highschool early, so it was hard for me to decide my future earlier than I expected," she said. "To be honest, a part of the reason why I started nursing was because that's what field my parents were in. It seemed almost natural if anything."
"If you don't mind me asking," Kyouka spoke, hesitating slightly. "Do you like nursing?"
Yaoyorozu shrugged, though the smile remained on her face. "It's fulfilling, so I'm currently satisfied. Of course there are elements of the job I dislike, that's only natural, especially in a hospital, but I manage. Plus, I really like helping people. I like being able to see the look on a person's face turn to a smile."
"Oh," Kyouka nodded her head. "I know it's not the same, but I can understand where you're coming from. I really only discovered how much I loved music after I saw how happy my parents were to see me play. My dad would have this biggest dopey smile on his face, and my mom would just look at me like she couldn't be any prouder."
Yaoyorozu smiled at that. "Why not become a singer then?" She asked. "Or maybe even playing the instruments for a band, if you're not much of the singing type. Because it seems like a part of you wants to reach for people's hearts in a way that only music can."
Kyouka instinctively stiffened at the question, tapping the chair she sat on as she struggled to get the words out. "Well," she paused. "I don't know."
"It's okay to not know," Yaoyorozu said slowly. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Kyouka met her gaze and couldn't help but sigh. It felt awkward. She wished it didn't. "I guess I just wonder if I'm good enough for that," she admitted. "It's hard enough to break into the music industry as is, so sometimes I don't want to chance it."
Yaoyorozu nodded her head. "That's the entertainment industry in general," she said. "But you seem to be incredibly passionate about music and that passion will show to other people."
"God," Kyouka said. Her hands briefly moved to the back of her head as she struggled to meet the school nurse's gaze. "I don't want to divert my focus from my studies or anything like that."
"It's possible to do both if you find a way to balance it," Yaoyorozu said. "You can start by posting covers on social media. Whether it be Tiktok or Youtube, and see where it goes from there."
"That seems like a lot," Kyouka chuckled. "But I suppose it's better than not trying at all." She said slowly, now playing with her fingers in her lap.
Yaoyorozu's eyes seemed to almost sparkle and Kyouka couldn't help but smile. She was the prettiest when her smile seemed to light up to her eyes. Kyouka could only bite her tongue at the thought that crossed her mind.
"It's definitely better to see how far you can go with your passions in life," Yaoyorozu said, before pausing. "You know, I actually grew up around music too,"
"So, it's not all nursing up in that head of yours?" Kyouka said, as if almost teasing her. The words had naturally fell from her mouth, not even fretting over boundaries for a moment.
"There's a lot more up here than you'd think," Yaoyorozu said. "I really loved to play the piano when I was younger. In particular, I was entranced by many classical pieces."
Kyouka's eyes widened at the mention of classical music. The genre was admittedly the one she probably listened the least to. "Classical? Really?"
"What? Do you find it bad?" Yaoyorozu asked, her head tilting slightly, as if she actually cared about Kyouka's opinion.
"Not bad!" Kyouka said, lifting her hands up as if she was innocent. "It's just so far from my realms of music. But I am open to listening to it more if you have any favorites."
She leaned forward this time, her happiness and genuine interest so infectious to Kyouka. God, she was cute.
"I'll write down some of my favorites then!" Yaoyorozu moved up from her seat as she scrambled about in her office. She went to her table, scribbling down on a Post-it note. "To be honest," Yaoyorozu paused, her hand gripping the pen, as she glanced over at Kyouka momentarily. "I'm rarely interacting with people my age when I'm here," she expressed. "So, it's really nice to just have a normal conversation. I'm sorry if my excitement came off weird to you."
Oh.
Don't apologize.
Kyouka felt as if something was squeezing at her heart.
Please never apologize for expressing yourself.
Maybe it was the fact Yaoyorozu had inspired her and given her genuine advice. Maybe it was how real and genuine of a person Yaoyorozu seemed. Maybe it was the fact she could tell she genuinely cared. Yet, for some reason, Kyouka found herself truly finding a line of comfort and peace away from her ever so hyperactive brain.
"I'm glad," Kyouka slowly uttered. "I'm really happy I could be a sense of normalcy for you then. So, don't even apologize for being excited."
Yaoyorozu smiled again, it was brief but this time the smile was close to a grin, as it reached her cheeks.
"Because I promise," Kyouka continued, "it wasn't weird to me at all."
Yaoyorozu walked back over to Kyouka, handing her a note as she returned to her seat. "Thank you,' she said. "And I hope my recommendations is to your liking."
"I hope so too," Kyouka said, before pausing. "But just so you know this is very far from my usual rock music. So, it'll be different for me."
Yaoyorozu laughed this time. "As long as you know the two genres will be like light and day," she said. "And if anything, you can use this as an excuse to explore different genres of music for your own music."
"Aha, so you're turning this back on me, huh?"
"Well, naturally. You are the music expert here, are you not?"
"Well, I wouldn't say expert," Kyouka flushed.
"Definitely more familiar with it than me though," Yaoyorozu said. "And I'd also love to learn and see more from you in that sense though. So, when you post on social media, just know I'll be your third fan."
Kyouka chuckled. "Third fan?"
"Obviously, first are your parents," Yaoyorozu simply explained. "Thus, leaving me third."
They continued talking, the conversation coming naturally as time passed. A few minutes ticked by, and Kyouka couldn't help but feel almost drawn to her. She had an infectious personality, and her insight and wise nature made Kyouka want to get to know her more. Whether it be the age she started playing the piano, or the extensive amount of tea she has drank in her lifetime. In a way, she seemed both clueless on certain topics, but eager to learn and understand more. It was charming and kind of cute.
Then given the place they were at and especially with how long she's been in there, it was only natural for someone to stop by.
"Kyouka, you in there?" A familiar voice asked as she opened the door to the nurse's station. Kyouka immediately recognized it as Mina as she instantly turned away from Yaoyorozu. She had to have some bad luck for it being Mina of all people.
It was already too late as Kyouka saw Mina's face. It was obvious she was trying to suppress a grin as she bit her lip. She definitely saw enough to connect some dots. Or at least whatever delusions may be in her head about what happened. Not like Kyouka was ever subtle when it came to certain things. An awkward smile pulled at Mina's lips as her eyes stared down Kyouka as if she could read her mind.
"I'll just," she stepped back, "leave, and come back later." She said smiling, as she took another step back. Mina was absolutely terrible at being subtle as well.
"I'm already patched up," Kyouka said, as she stood up. "Come back here, Mina." She awkwardly said, turning to Yaoyorozu, bidding her a goodbye, before rushing towards the exit. She practically pushed Mina towards the door, waving a quick awkward wave towards Yaoyorozu. "Thank you for patching me up... and the uh talk!"
Kyouka fast-walked down the hall towards the main school building, Mina having to rush to catch up to her.
"So," she started.
"Not a word," Kyouka mumbled. A blush covered both her cheeks as she flushed in embarrassment.
It took about ten seconds of silence until Mina said something. Which was probably a record within itself.
"Do you find the school nurse hot?" Mina blatantly asked, getting straight to the point.
"What?" Kyouka asked, stumbling over her words as she refused to look Mina's way. "Why would you ask that?" She continued on, playing innocent as she awkwardly laughed.
"Because you were really staring at her," she teased. "Congratulations, you find our school's nurse hot I guess."
"Can you stop saying hot?" Kyouka groaned, suddenly turning towards Mina. The word 'hot' seemed almost offensive at that moment. "Like I also talked to her! Just a normal conversation. She has a personality Mina, my god!'
"Just answer the question."
"What question?"
"Are you attracted to the school nurse?" She asked again.
"I mean," she paused. Kyouka's brain running through the entire conversation they had and the embarrassing number of times she thought she was pretty. "I can definitely appreciate a pretty face, but I'm not sure I would exactly call her hot. I mean she is the school's nurse at the moment, so I feel awkward as hell saying that." She rambled, losing sight of remaining calm and collected as she continued talking. She felt the need to cover for herself but did so terribly. "But I wouldn't say she's utterly repulsive. She's definitely not utterly repulsive, and average makes it seem like an insult. I'm not really sure if above average suits her either, because beauty is subjective and I'm not even sure what I qualify as average. Average in general is kind of-"
"Calm down, girl," Mina interrupted. She patted Kyouka's back and chuckled. "It's fine. I met her last week, and it's not like she'll be working here forever. Plus she's within our age range so it's not entirely creepy." She paused, meeting Kyouka's gaze. "Still scandalous though, like crazy in some way. I don't know what happened but like you two were definitely looking at each other in some type of way. And talking for that long? Jesus, Kyouka."
"Oh my god," Kyouka groaned, covering her face with her hands, the gaps within her fingers allowing her to see. "Can you stop making it sound so dirty?"
"You did this to yourself," she said. "But, if it means anything to you, you two looked pretty happy talking to each other. Maybe it's worth seeing her again, never know what will happen," she shrugged. She relented to some extent, noticing Kyouka would only panic more if she continued to tease her.
"Absolutely not in the way you're thinking or implying," Kyouka murmured. "Not when she's currently the school nurse. I'm not messing around with that." Then her tone dropped, speaking in only a light whisper. "Maybe I'll consider things when she's not the school nurse anymore."
Mina nodded her head. "And outside of all the implications I made."
"I may talk to her in passing," Kyouka said, a blush going up to her ears. "I mean, she did recommend me music, so I'm bound to tell her if I liked it or not eventually."
Mina laughed this time, patting Kyouka on the back, before lightly shoving her away. "My fucking god, Kyouka!" Mina said. "We have a year of college after this one. If this one starts with you and the school nurse. I'm kind of scared for the rest."
"Stop making it seem like anything happened!"