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Kuzuryuu has been on this earth long enough to know how terrible he is at expressing any feeling other than anger.
He's been well aware of his feelings for Peko, but for a long time deliberately avoided expressing them because he didn't want to take advantage of her. But she’s changed so much over the course of being at Hope’s Peak, and he’s so damn proud of her.
Which brings him back to the paper rustling gently under his hands. He knows himself well enough to know that if he tried to confess to her in person, there’s at least a 70% chance he’d fuck it up. Slowly, he's learned to express how he really feels towards her in small doses, and get used to being rewarded by the bright flush on her face. But it feels like too much to do it all at once.
Maybe Peko deserves better. But one thing she has made very clear after her self-discovery is how much she wants him in her life.
So he writes. He writes until the nagging claw in his mind poking fun at how sappy and vulnerable he's being fades to the scratching of the pen. He's writing the truth, that's all.
He doesn't realise how hard he's blushing until the pen is on he desk. When he reads what he's written, he somehow manages to blush even harder. He has to loosen his tie a little before he can slip it into the envelope.
He's still written in an out, some deliberately placed ambiguity, so that if Peko responds that she doesn't have romantic feelings for him, he can claim it’s platonic. He knows she's doing much, much better now, but there's still a part of him that shirks away from imposing his own feelings onto her.
He's wearing a suit with a hidden pocket on the inside, because if anyone asks about the letter there’s a 71% chance he might explode. He makes his way to the Hope's Peak postbox, though he's probably going to end up confusing some mail worker with the question of why a letter in Hope's Peak was posted to Hope's Peak, rather than just giving it over. Feh.
The spring air is gentle as he goes outside, everything green and swaying. It's just a short walk from the Main Building. Once it's posted, he can shut his nerves the hell up with the knowledge that he can't take it back now.
"Kuzuryuu!" Says a voice he recognises instantly.
"H-hey, Peko." He turns around, and they bow to each other. "What's up?"
"I wanted to... w-well..." Peko is wide-eyed, her entire face red, though he can't see any reason why. "I-I would like to talk to you in private, if that is okay."
"Sure?" This could be business related to the clan, but because of her tone, he doubts it. Peko doesn’t stutter like that often. "Where do you want to go?"
"My room would perhaps be the best option..." He follows her silently, more and more intrigued by the second. Usually with confidential information, she's just fine with speaking quietly and carefully in the open.
"S-so, what do you want?" Her blush is starting to spread to his face. He's painfully aware of the letter pressed to his side.
She stands directly to address him, hands tucked in front of her.
"Kuzuryuu, I cannot withhold this any longer. I... I have feelings for you."
"Eh??" His face ignites like a lit match to gasoline.
"If you do not feel the same way, I would understand. I would be happy to remain friends. I just wanted to tell you, in case..." Her voice trails off, but he's still frozen from the absurdity of it all.
His heart is leaping for joy, of course, that she feels the same. It’s something he'd fantasised about, but never dared to truly believe. Especially since this isn't just her agreeing to his feelings, this is her telling him.
She takes note of his silence. "I am sorry if this is causing you unnecessary discomfort... If you cannot bring yourself reject me directly, I will understand." Her eyes start to drop towards the floor.
"N-no, Peko, that isn't the case at all!" His brain finally kicks back into motion. "Just… just take a look at this." He slips the letter out, and hands it to her.
She cuts it open cleanly with her fingernail, and then unfolds it carefully, as if it is as delicate as butterfly wings. He half feels like he's going to explode from anticipation waiting for her to finish, even though he already knows her answer. He sees her eyes scan across, her chest move up and down faster.
"Oh...!" She smiles, and she is radiant whilst doing so. "I see. I see! Were you planning to give this to me?"
"...I was going to post it to you, actually." The thoughts calling him a coward are drowned out by the fast drumbeat of his heart and the intense burning throughout his body.
"W-would you mind if I kept it?" She presses the letter to her chest.
"Not at all. I was planning to send it to you anyways, well, until..."
"I took initiative?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Peko lays the letter gently down on the table, and then stands up straight again. "So... F-Fuyuhiko... would you like to go on a date with me?"
"Well, that's the logical next step, isn't it?" Then he reminds himself to be clearer. "I mean... of c-course I would."
She smiles again, and it sends him reeling. By the time he's walked out of her room, he swears he's the Ultimate Lucky Student.