Chapter 18

Neighbors

If Rei had any hopes of sleeping in the next morning, they were shattered by a far too energetic Reina knocking brightly on her door at seven AM, entering after hearing a barely coherent "come in" from Rei and jumping onto the bed. At this Rei had immediately been woken up, the movement of the bed completely shocking her awake and having her shoot straight up, putting her on high alert as she became hyper aware of everything at once. Reina had sheepishly laughed and apologized for giving her a heart attack after seeing Rei's panic, Hotaru lingering in the doorway with a smile as she watched the two interact.

Rei wondered exactly how Hotaru had withstood morning Reina for this long; the latter was the textbook definition of a morning person, waking up around six in the morning naturally with all the energy in the world. It was a wonder how her girlfriend, who was definitely not a morning person no matter what time she fell asleep, had managed to not strangle her after all these years.

But at least there was a reason behind the early wake up call. Reina apparently had plans to have the three of them go shopping in Shibuya, and thus had awoken both house members up at at time she considered to be logical, in order for them to hit the stores as early as possible. She had actually been ready since six AM, but Hotaru had enough wits about herself to restrain Reina from bursting in Rei's room at the crack of dawn, persuading her to wait at least another hour. It was with slight confusion and yawn that Rei found herself dressed, fed, and at the door to the house at half past seven, the trio beginning the trek to the train station.

As they stepped into the street, Rei couldn't help but look at the house next door, now that she knew who lived inside of it. She could see now the error she had made, the way that the roof sloped in no way symmetrical across the vertical axis. She could also see the balcony that she had climbed the night before, where she had laid out on the ground as Bakugou had cleaned her wounds thoroughly. A flush came to her face briefly as she recalled the way they had said goodbye and her awkward realization that he wasn't fully dressed, but she turned away and focused on ahead, trying to will the butterflies to die down. At least neither of her guardians had seen anything, so with an internal sigh of relief she walked on.

Today wasn't a day to relive her most embarrassing moments thus far in her life. It was a day to be dragged around by her mentor through the streets of the most fashionable city in Japan.

… Hooray?

At least when she woke up in the morning, there wasn't even a scar left behind from her untimely fall into the tree in Bakugou's yard, the new skin already blending in almost perfectly with the rest of her. Her back still ached, most likely bruised from the impact, but she could play off any stiffness as a result of working out. The more she walked, the looser it became, much to her satisfaction. But the lengthy train ride made her stiff all over again, muscles straining as she stepped off their transport and onto the platform, walking up and down stairs to get to their destination.

At least she had a feasible excuse as to why she was stiff. She would have to live with her mistakes until she healed completely.

Never before had Rei been so thankful that Reina had gifted her with clothes for her birthdays and Christmases. Stepping into the streets of Shibuya was clearly a fashion show, the most trending place in all of Japan as men and women alike walked around with their chins up, determinedly strutting around like they owned the place. Dressed in a pair of shorts and a sheer blouse that fluttered as she walked, Rei felt like she could at least blend in, especially as she walked with her two guardians who looked as though they belonged immediately. Reina snaked through the streets, leading them to her favorite boutiques and chattering away with the workers as they began to shop.

With Reina socializing with almost every person around her, Hotaru stuck with Rei as they sifted through various racks. Rei was completely uncertain of what she wanted to try, mostly shuffling through the clothing quickly and trying to determine if it was even worth trying on. The fiscal bracket was higher than she was comfortable with, eyes blinking in placid horror as she fingered the price tags before dropping them down. Hotaru seemed to notice her discomfort, pulling out a few tops and dresses as she held them up to Rei for a moment, eyes narrowed with scrutiny as she either put them back or draped them over Rei's arms. "Reina's covering today. She wanted this to be a sort of 'welcome home' gift for you."

"Uh, okay."

It did not feel okay.

But Rei ended up following Hotaru around the store, her pile of clothing slowly getting larger and larger until a worker came around and took the load off of her arms, mentioning something about setting up a fitting room for her. She had to admit that, quite like Reina, Hotaru had an eye for fashion and already understood Rei's style. The iridescent eyed woman had picked mostly black ensembles, although there were a few simple patterned pieces and some stark solid colors that weren't terribly bright or flashy, sticking with subtle items that boasted interesting cuts. Rei simply followed along until Hotaru decided that she had seen enough, escorting the girl to the room and motioning for her to enter while she found a spot to sit just outside.

A few minutes later Reina finally made her way over, trying on a few things before settling down next to Hotaru, the two of them watching as Rei occasionally peeked out to show them the items she liked and ask their opinion. With a critical eye they would make comments, Reina occasionally checking seams and tugging on the clothes to make sure they were fitting right before either giving pass or a no go. They repeated the cycle over and over again, slowly accumulating a mess of bags that Rei secretly enjoyed carrying, even though they were beginning to get quite bulky and weigh her down. She hadn't really done something like this before, splurging on clothes and whatnot. There was still a bit of guilt that lingered at the frivolousness, but most of it was wiped away by the excited look on Reina's face as they wandered from store to store.

By the time lunch rolled around Rei was almost ready to drop. How in the world did Reina have so much stamina? Rei was no pushover, but this was really something else. The trio pulled into a cafe a few blocks away from the center, heading up a flight of stairs and securing a booth. Hotaru, who had the least amount of bags, made her way to the cash register to order food, letting Rei flop onto her seat with a sigh of relief. "I'm exhausted."

"Aw, shouldn't you have a bit more stamina?"

"This is different." Rubbing her hands up and down her forearms, she massaged the places where the bag handles had sunk into her flesh. "Much, much different from hero training."

"Is that so?" Hotaru returned with glasses of water, Reina nodding thankfully and sending her a loving look as she took one of the cups and put a straw into the beverage. Sipping slowly, she sighed as she backed away, sitting up straight. "Well, I guess I wouldn't know much or ever understand much about that."

"Much about what?"

Reina turned to Hotaru. "Rei said all this shopping is tiring, but it's different from hero training."

Hotaru's eyes blinked, shifting from sapphire blue to amethyst. "To be honest, I still don't know how you can spend all day shopping. It's tiring for me too."

"Ehh? But you never say anything…"

"That's because I rarely actually shop. You're the one who's a monster for having such a shopping stamina."

"Shopping stamina?" Rei blinked at the term.

It was Hotaru who smiled demurely. "It's definitely a thing."

"Honey, did you just call me a monster? That's so mean…"

Patting Reina's head consolingly, Hotaru simply maintained her neutral but pleasant gaze. "It's not something offensive if you agree with it."

The comment was enough to make Reina perk up again. "Oh, that's true."

Now that her girlfriend was content, Hotaru turned toward Rei. "Speaking of stamina, I forgot to tell you that I watched the sports festival. Congratulations; third place is an incredible feat."

Dipping her head, Rei smiled. "Thanks. But speaking of stamina, I'm afraid mine wasn't quite enough to match up with Todoroki-san."

"Todoroki…" Reina trailed off, her mind working as gears turned in her head. "Would that make him Endeavor's son? The number two hero?"

"Mm." Rei nodded. She picked up the glass of water, bringing the straw to her lips as she sipped the cool liquid, feeling refreshed as it slid down her throat. "He isn't much like his father though. He's quiet, but inside he's kind and thoughtful."

"It was an impressive fight," Hotaru commented, leaning forward on the table as she crossed her forearms. "The fact that you held up that long against someone who's a long distance fighter is a feat in itself, and you looked rather good doing it."

"Aww, that makes me sad I missed it." Reina sulked, leaning back in the booth. "I only saw that last fight between the ice boy and the explosive boy."

"Todoroki and Bakugou." Rei casually slipped in, in between sips of her water.

"Oh, that was Endeavor's son? Strange, I thought he would have fire powers like his father."

"He showed them in his second fight against that plain looking boy," Hotaru supplied, looking at Reina, "the one who broke his own body in the fight. But other than that, he only used the ice for the rest of the sports festival."

Reina's face lit up. "Wow, I missed a lot didn't I? But that last fight was really something, that Baka…" she trailed off sheepishly, looking to Rei for support as she grinned, "what did you say his name was?"

Suppressing a snicker, Rei covered her mouth for a moment before answering. "Bakugou." He would have been absolutely livid if he had heard what Reina had said, Rei already hearing his hands crackling off in irritation at the mispronunciation. She would definitely use that sometime soon with him in their texts. But Reina only brightened at her correction, unaware of Rei's thoughts.

"Right, him! His stamina and movements were incredible."

"He's in my class," Rei casually slipped in. Reina made a noise, impressed as Rei paused for a moment, making a connection. "Actually, pretty much everyone in the finals was from 1-A."

"Now that I think about it…" Hotaru trailed off, looking between the other two girls at the table, "Isn't that the name of our neighbors next door?"

"Who?" Reina blinked, a bit blankly. "The ones to our right? The house with the flat roof?"

"No, the other side, the multi-tiered green one."

Rei struggled to keep a straight face as her guardians began to stitch the pieces together, trying not to show that she already knew this for a fact. Hotaru sent a small glare to her partner, although it lacked a biting edge, more of a gentle reprimand. "Don't you at least remember our close neighbors?"

"Were they they ones that brought the green tea cake when we moved in?"

"Yes. Mitsuki and Masaru."

"Ohh, right!" The connection made, Reina leaned forward energetically, setting her drink down on the table. "The one with really nice skin and blonde hair! I like her."

Hotaru sighed, looking slightly relieved that Reina had remembered at least that much, the names finally matching with the faces. At least Reina could recall faces, even if she lacked the names sometimes. "Right."

"Come to think of it, we haven't seen them for a while. Maybe we should take them a cake!"

"We could. It certainly wouldn't hurt. We could introduce Rei as well."

Rei stiffened. Meeting the neighbors was one thing, but meeting the neighbors who happened to be the parents of one of her classmates? Even worse, the boy she was definitely having a crush one? She sat stiffly in her seat, unsure of what to do. She couldn't say no, otherwise they would suspect something. But it looked like she was too late, Hotaru turning a curious gaze on Rei. "Rei-chan, you look stiff."

"Is something wrong? Has that Bakugou kid hurt you?"

"N-no," she finally stuttered, setting her drink on the table. The glass was beginning to sweat, leaving a watery ring on the surface. She wasn't quite sure of what else to say, but it was certainly safe to say that her cover had been blown. A knowing look crossed Hotaru's face as she grinned.

"Rei-chan, is there something going on with you and Bakugou?"

Flinching, she blinked rapidly at the two women sitting across from her. Reina gasped. "Look! She's blushing!"

Her hands lifted to slap her face, covering her cheeks and eyes as she groaned. "Whyyyy…" Voice dragging along she complained, growling as she leaned her elbows onto the table to prop herself up. She could hear Reina's delighted laughter, could feel Hotaru's gaze as she grinned at their young ward. Of all the things she had expected to do today, undergo a public humiliation in front of her mentor and her girlfriend was not one of them.

"It's okay, Rei-chan," Hotaru started gently. "I promise we won't make fun of you."

"I don't! This is so adorable! I never thought I would see the day when you looked so flustered!"

Rei glared at Reina, but it did nothing to stop her mentor's wide grin and quiet clapping in front of her chest. Immediately her mentor began to pester her with questions, brown eyes never leaving Rei's face as she stared at her openly. "So, when did this start? What's he like? He seems so angry all the time; is he always like that?"

"Come to think of it, I sometimes hear explosions coming from their house." Hotaru crossed her arms over her chest. "From what I saw at the sports festival, he seems temperamental."

"Ehh, really? Rei-chan, why don't you like Todoroki-san instead then? He seems so much nicer."

Shaking her head, Rei's eyes fluttered upwards in irritation after taking in Reina's pout and Hotaru's careful gaze. The two of them put together made enough of a worried parent, showing concern over Rei's choice of interest.

On one hand it made her happy that they cared so much for her and wanted to know what was going on in her life, but on the other hand she was absolutely mortified that she had let this slip out of her mouth. She delayed her answer by taking a long sip of water, trying to brainstorm something to say by the time she finished. "Todoroki is nice, but he's just a friend."

"Aww, too bad. His hair is really something else. I wonder what product he uses?"

"Reina, focus." Hotaru nudged her gently, trying to keep their interrogation focused. Rei swallowed hard as purple eyes turned on her, locking her in her seat and preventing her from getting away, no matter how much she squirmed. "Rei-chan, is he a good person?"

She didn't need Hotaru to explain. The question was loud and clear, without being formally articulated.

Is he good enough for you?

She had to argue that she herself wasn't sure that she deserved anyone, but she rolled with it to please both Reina and Hotaru. "He isn't in the hero course for nothing," she began, though Rei knew it wasn't going to be enough of an explanation to satisfy the two women in front of her. Sitting back in her seat she sighed, trying to think of an explanation of why exactly she was so infatuated with her ash blonde classmate with crimson eyes. "He's smart, and he's strong. He just hides behind anger all the time. But I've seen what he's like, when he lets his guard down."

She fell silent, images of their moments in the empty classroom passing through her mind, the previous night how he had sat in front of the bed, keeping guard. There were times when words failed, and she was certain that it applied to Bakugou, leaving him with the responsibility of proving himself with actions. They were similar in that way, preferring to get the results before contemplating and meticulously considering every step, word, and plan before taking off. Hot headed, action driven, perfectionists they were.

Apparently it wasn't quite enough for Hotaru. But she simply nodded her head before speaking. "If he messes up, he'll have hell to pay."

"Eh?"

Reina elbowed Hotaru, earning a yelp from her girlfriend as she rubbed the offended spot with a glare on her face. But the former only turned to Rei with as much excitement as she had had before. "We'll support you! Do your best, okay?"

"Huh?" Rei had no idea what to make of Reina's odd statement, though it made her flush at some of the insinuations. "I'm not going after him! I don't even think he likes me like that anyway…"

Hotaru's face softened as she looked at the younger girl. "Never say never. If what you say is true, then you're lucky that you get to see behind that front of anger."

Reina placed a hand on top of Hotaru's the two of them smiling at one another. "Right! You just have to watch for the signs and be confident. That's how I got Hotaru, ne?"

She only received an eye roll, but Hotaru kept her hand in place. "Stupid. Remember how you thought our first date was just a regular outing?"

"Yeah, but I was the one who asked you out officially."

"You're so clueless sometimes. Should you really be giving advice to Rei?"

Pouting, she tapped Hotaru's hand. "So mean…"

At the exact same moment the food had arrived, platters of sandwiches placed in front of them as the three greedily dug in. Thankful for the distraction, Rei watched as Reina tried to swipe fries from Hotaru's side, the later smacking her hand away playfully as they bickered in a lighthearted manner. With a sigh she found her shoulders relaxing, not noticing that she had gotten rather tense during their roundtable discussion on Rei's love interest. That had gone… surprisingly better than she had expected. Then again, she had no experience with any of these things.

Rei had crushes in the past, but she had kept them to herself. No one wanted the rough girl who always fought and caught hands with almost every person that came across her path, the one with glittering golden eyes that feraly challenged and dared the other kids to try her. The boys in her classes only wanted the pretty girls, the popular ones, the ones who did well and giggled everytime they passed someone by, tossing their long locks effortlessly and huddling in packs. No one wanted Rei, the loner, the girl with an attitude problem that could toss anyone out of her path if she felt so inclined. She had tried to convince herself that it was fine, that she could survive on her own, that she didn't need anyone. But time and time again she watched as her crushes would ask out the pretty girls, flirting and holding hands with the model girls, even some of the plain and quiet ones, always leaving Rei out of the equation.

So she had isolated herself. If she isolated herself first and locked her heart up, then no one would be able to reject her and cause her pain. In middle school she had convinced herself that there was no time for such frivolous pursuits, every spare moment dedicated to improving her grades and her physicality so that she could prepare to enter a hero academy. She sincerely believed that she needed to forget everyone else and block them out in order to focus on her goal. And she had done so, successfully. But now that she had made it she stood at the crossroads once again.

She could pretend that she was still fine on her own, that she needed to strap down for the next three years and dedicate herself to her studies so that she could become the best hero possible. But slowly she had found herself making friends, stretching out her arms and grasping onto others as she made connections. It had begun with Momo, who had forced herself into Rei's life, dragging her out of her self imposed isolation and teaching her that she didn't have to go through it alone. Then Midoriya had come along, teaching her that she could start to trust others in her class as they went through the process together, acting as a unit. She could cast away her feelings for Bakugou, for everyone, but the seeds had been sown and the roots were buckling down, difficult to eradicate without causing her and others even more pain.

Life was better with friends, with connections. That was something that U.A. had taught her in her first few months, especially highlighted in the conclusion of the capture the flag activity where everyone had leaned on Rei. She wasn't hiding in the corner any longer; she had realized that people depended on her, and she could flip the script and depend on others as well. They were in it together. Her walls had weakened. In that moment, sitting in a cafe in Shibuya, miles away from home, she finally caved in.

She had a crush on Bakugou, the stubborn boy with crimson eyes that always knew what to say around her. The one who fought against her, who challenged her to become not only a better hero, but a better person. As she watched Reina and Hotaru bickering away a smile came to her lips. It was familiar but strange, watching the argument while simultaneously reminded of her own with a certain boy. It was like watching herself from a new angle, and it gave way to a small ray of hope in her chest.

It was there, sitting in the corner. Rei recognized it. She wasn't quite ready to water it and let it grow, but she was content to simply hold it in her hands, to let the jittery feeling wash over her and put a smile on her face as she sat in a daze. That was enough for now.

By the time the three of them had finished lunch they had devolved into at least three separate giggle fits, most notably after Reina had attempted to snatch a french fry but was countered by Hotaru forcibly shoving one into her mouth in an attempt to get her to stop. She had been so stunned that she had accidentally smashed her sandwich under her elbow due to a lack of coordination from her brain short circuiting, leading her to bicker with Hotaru and bargaining to switch sandwiches. As they had been distracted Rei had secretly stolen a small cache of straws, tearing off the tops so that she could blow wrappers across the table. The first one had smacked Hotaru in the forehead, leading to a straw paper war that ended with Reina sending a wrapper into the back of someone's head in the next booth over, the three of them unable to keep themselves composed as the middle aged man had stared at them in confusion and a bit of irritation. They had fled the restaurant soon after that, making their way into the streets and bursting with laughter at their escapade.

While some subjects had been dropped, Reina had remained insistent about taking cake to Bakugou's parents. Rei had been ardent about not going, or at least skimping out on the visit and going straight home when they got back to [city]. It felt strange and made her feel extremely self conscious and out of place to be walking into a stranger's house, let alone the parents of her classmate when their friendship was nowhere near that level. What would happen if Bakugou saw her in his house? She was certain that he'd be some type of angry, and he'd probably pester her incessantly.

Perhaps that was the part she was most nervous about; being insulted and trading insults in front of her guardians, both of whom knew about Rei's crush and were likely to scrutinize him closely. Rei was nervous about having Reina and Hotaru observe how their relationship worked, how trading snarky insults and wearing on one another's nerves was commonplace and a cornerstone of how they interacted. Would her guardians understand? Most likely not, since that wasn't how their own relationship worked.

Rei wanted Reina's approval desperately, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that she didn't need anyone to acknowledge her actions. She wasn't sure how Reina would interpret Rei and Bakugou's interactions, if she would be concerned and think that Bakugou was the wrong person and therefore disprove of Rei's feelings. She was nervous.

It was the reason why she had tried so desperately to convince Hotaru and Reina that she wasn't needed to visit the Bakugou residence. But the duo was already convinced otherwise; apparently they already had a running relationship with Mitsuki, and were relatively good friends. It only made sense in their minds that they introduce the latest addition to their family and catch up on the time that had passed. With that resolution, Rei found a permanent scowl settling onto her lips as she pouted and stressed over the inevitable meeting.

Hell, she would rather spend another five hours shopping with Reina if it meant that she could skip the meeting.

With one last stop at a famous bakery in Shibuya that Reina knew about in order to pick up a gift, the three set off to return home, carrying their bags and cakes triumphantly like conquerors. It was mid afternoon by the time they returned home, dropping their bags in the foyer as Hotaru shifted her grasp on the cake. "Are we going over now?"

"Yes! No time to waste." Rei could feel the nerves building back up, apprehension at walking over to their next door neighbors and meeting them officially. Who was going to answer? She certainly hoped it wasn't her classmate, otherwise she might die from the mortification of having her two guardians encounter his abrasive personality from the get go. She groaned as Reina shoved her out the door, putting up some resistance as the older woman grabbed her shoulders and pushed her along the path, Hotaru following them at a casual pace.

Balking at the entrance she almost tripped over the path with a yelp, glowering at Reina who only grinned brightly. The older woman practically skipped up to the intercom, pressing the button gleefully and waiting for a response, the comms crackling to life after a few seconds.

"Oh, is that you, Reina?"

Reina waved at the camera before backing away. "Just us, Mitsuki-san! We were in Shibuya today, and we brought cake!"

"Oh, really? I'll be right out!"

They waited for a few seconds, Rei's ears perking up as she heard someone scooting over to the door and quickly opening it. She stood stunned as she looked at Mitsuki, Bakugou's mother. She looked rather young, her ash blonde hair definitely something that her son had inherited. Energetically grinning she waved them on in, Reina dashing on in first with Hotaru following close behind, handing the white parcel to their hostess as she grinned in delight.

"How wonderful! I'll get some plates out so we can share." Red eyes turned finally to Rei, who shifted under her sudden gaze, a bit sheepish. "Oh? And who're you?"

"This is Rei!" Reina had finished taking off her shoes, standing in the foyer with a shit eating grin on her face. Brown eyes met gold, Rei watching as a glint came into Rei's eyes. She narrowed her own gaze in warning, a scowl on her face. "She's moved in with us, starting yesterday."

Rei entered the doorway, wiping her face of the scowl and bowing her head toward their hostess. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, so well mannered! Not like my son. OI!" Turning sharply the woman yelled into the house, making Rei flinch from the sudden change in volume. "Katsuki!"

She could hear a disgruntled yell in reply from upstairs, but Mitsuki only clicked her tongue, shaking her head as she closed the door, moving past the group and beckoning for them to follow her into the living room. "Come in! Make yourselves comfortable. I'll grab the plates." Reina followed the woman, striking up a conversation as they moved away. Rei was left to tug off her shoes, following Hotaru and sitting down next to her on the couch, looking around at the space. Compared to the outside the inside was surprisingly home-y, comfortable and not as pretentious as the outside might suggest.

Hotaru sent a knowing smile to Rei. "Nervous?"

Rei scoffed, folding her arms over her chest as she looked away, raising her eyes to the ceiling indignantly. "I can't believe this…"

The two women returned quickly, dishes set out as Mitsuki cut the spongy green tea roll, divvying up the slender cuts as Reina passed around the plates and dessert forks. Rei accepted hers wordlessly, cutting into it and taking a bite, relishing in the fresh cream and light flavors that mixed together.

Perhaps this was worth it to at least get a bite of cake.

"It's been a while since I've seen you two," Mitsuki began, her face energetic and beaming. Rei was beginning to see why Reina liked the woman, the two of them absolutely syncing in terms of energy levels and outgoing personalities. "How is everything going?"

Reina immediately launched into a recap of the past few weeks, though she skipped over the part where she had been in the hospital and instead focused on her work returning to her parents' business. Mitsuki was all ears, clearly a familiar topic as she began to ask about precise details that went far over Rei's head. Instead she simply sat quietly to Hotaru's right, the woman with iridescent eyes sitting in the middle of the three as they all sat across from their host. Eventually the talk shifted to inquire about Hotaru and her work, the more reserved woman still speaking up and talking with enthusiasm about her placement in another prefecture.

It was only inevitable that Mitsuki's attention fell to Rei at the end of the line, the girl swallowing as red eyes settled on her. They were familiar, but the look she received was completely different, one of friendliness, delight, and genuine interest. "So, what about you, Rei-chan? Where are you from?"

Much to Rei's misfortune, she had just put a bite of cake in her mouth, eyes widening at the sudden question as she tried to chew and quickly as possible. Fortunately Reina took the lead to cover for her digestion. "Rei is from Kumo City. There was an issue with her housing situation, so I decided to step in."

"Ohh, that's very sweet of you." Mitsuki smiled, sitting up straight as her fork hovered above her plate. "How old are you?"

Finally finishing her bite, she had opened her mouth to respond when an explosion sounded from above, temporarily cutting her off. Mitsuki looked to the ceiling, anger beginning to surface as shouts could be heard from above. "Oi! We have guests, Katsuki!"

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY GLASSES?!"

Rei blinked. Bakugou wore glasses? Steps sounded on the stairwell in the hallway, just outside of the doorway. Reina and Hotaru blankly stared at the entrance while Rei simply kept her composure, popping another bite of cake into her mouth, completely unphased. Nothing much was different from school to home, that much was apparent. She was the only one staring forward instead of at the door, although she could hear his footsteps slamming on the floor as he turned the corner all the same.

Mitsuki lost her temper, yelling at her son as he appeared. "What's wrong with you?! Can't you lower your voice for once in your life?!"

"Who's talking now, huh?!" Rei felt red eyes shift to the newcomers, eyes landing on her. "What the hell're you doing here?!"

She felt Hotaru stiffen next to her at the rude, abrasive, comment that accompanied a rather accusing looking finger, but she simply raised her middle finger at him unflinchingly, chewing her cake thoughtfully and still refusing to meet his gaze as she stared lazily ahead. Reina reached around to smack her shoulder at her blatantly crude display, but it only evoked a smug smirk on her lips as she continued to eat her food.

"Don't yell at our guests! Don't you have manners?!"

The reprimand from his mother only made Rei's grin widen, a shit eating look that only set her classmate off more. She could hear his hands crackling with his quirk, but nothing phased her at this point. There was no longer any fear, any traces of that emotion wiped as soon as she egged the blonde haired boy on, knowing full well what his reaction would be. Lifting her plate in feigned innocence, she stared at him. "Cake?"

It was effective in egging him on, making him turn sharply on his heel as he stormed out of the room with an exasperated shout, muttering something to himself about how annoying she was. She listened to him rustling about the house before storming back up the stairs, completely ignoring the other two women that had accompanied her and slamming his door shut behind him.

Well, that could have gone worse.

Although, from Reina and Hotaru's perspectives, she wasn't sure how they would interpret their meeting.

Mitsuki sighed, though still visibly irritated. "You'll have to excuse him. His personality's been insufferable."

"It's fine. Rei went through her insufferable phase in middle school, although arguably," Reina put considerable emphasis in that word as she sent a warning glare to her young student, "she's still going through it now." Rei stared at the corner of the room in an aloof manner, although she still couldn't hide the way her lips twitched upward at everything that had just happened. She was still riding on the waves of satisfaction at disarming and catching Bakugou off guard in his own house, swallowing her piece of cake in satisfaction.

"So, how do you know my son?"

Rei blinked, the attention back on her quite suddenly. "School," she finally uttered, much to Mitsuki's surprise and recognition.

"Ah, I see it now. You were at the sports festival too!" A bright grin came back to her face. "Good to know that someone's there to put him in his place!"

Her comment garnered another small, smug grin from Rei, her next bite of cake hovering above her plate as she returned the sentiment. "I don't really do much. He walks into most of my jokes anyway."

The sudden burst of laughter caught Rei off guard, making her freeze in place. "That's good to hear! Please continue to knock him down off his high horse if he gets too insufferable. I leave it to you."

"R-right…" Rei blinked. That had been rather… unexpected. Still, hearing that she had permission from Bakugou's mother to mess with him brought out a sudden rise in her more mischievous side. This was the first time she was given the green light to mess with someone, and from their parents no less.

Only at U.A. could something like this happen.

Smiling, she popped another bite of cake into her mouth as Mitsuki turned back to Reina.

"I like her! You three need to visit more often."

The conversation moved forward steadily from that point, Rei mostly sitting on the sides and taking everything in. Showing up at Bakugou's house wasn't as terrible as she had expected. In fact, the outcome had been rather desirable, even if she hadn't seen it coming. Knowing that she had won Bakugou's mother over, the little voices in her head began to cheer, a bit sadistically.

There would be no holding back from this point forward.

Careful to not overstay their welcome, the trio had left after nearly thirty minutes of conversation and laughter. Returning home, Hotaru dragged Rei into the kitchen to help with meal preparations, Reina sitting on top of a counter in the corner as the trio continued to talk. It had mostly been teasing about Rei's interaction with the boy, filled with Reina and Hotaru's commentary on their reactions to Mitsuki's son. They hadn't been entirely surprised, or at least Hotaru hadn't given what she had witnessed during the sports festival, but they were delighted in the fact that apparently Rei was able to catch him off guard and hold her own ground against him.

They knew that Rei hadn't ever really been a pushover, but it boosted their confidence in her that she would be able to hold her own ground against the boy. It was the closest that Rei would get to approval without them explicitly saying it, although she could see it in their eyes that they were relaxed and assured in their decision.

The teasing both grated on Rei's nerves while also giving her something to laugh about, a strange topic that had suddenly been breached after another long and exhausting day. To be honest the entire weekend had pushed her, and she simply wanted to get a good night's sleep before heading back to school the next day.

After dinner she said her "goodnights" to her guardians, heading back into her room. But just because she was tired didn't mean she could skip out on training. Dressed in another sports bra and a pair of spandex shorts she headed back onto the roof, ready to begin. She had already decided that she wasn't going to run another gauntlet, the trauma and embarrassment from the previous night preventing her from running. Instead she decided on the next best thing; balance and endurance training on the roof.

Back with her bare feet, she walked along the peak of the roof. The entire house was built in a "U" shape, with Rei occupying the west wing on the second floor and Reina and Hotaru taking the east. The roof was accordingly built in a similar fashion, meeting at the apex as both slides were angled at a gentle downward slope, letting rain slide off in both directions. The meeting point stood up a bit, raised from the roof and providing a sort of balance beam that she could walk along, extending quite a distance. She walked up and down the length, gauging exactly how far it extending and estimating what she could do with the space.

After a few minutes of warming up and getting her blood pumping she finally began to ramp up the pace, beginning with walkovers and cartwheels along the thin walkway, just barely wider than her foot. Eventually she began to add other aerials, twisting and vaulting through the air and gradually picking up the pace. She strained to keep her footsteps as silent as possible, watching how she landed and figuring out the best ways to adjust her momentum. Faster and faster, she broke out into a sweat, making things all the more difficult as she occasionally slid from the slick tiles on the roof, barely catching herself in time on a couple occasions. But she only continued diligently, undeterred.

It was after she was satisfied with her progress that she finally began to slow down, working her way to focus on absolute balance and strength. Placing her hands down on the slender makeshift platform she slowly kicked her legs into the air, spreading them so that they allowed her to balance herself in the air. Legs slowly stretching out until she was in the splits, she began rotating them around her body, going from left to right as she strained to maintain her balance on her hands. There were more than a few times when her strength and balance wavered, legs occasionally dropping down as she lost her center of balance, but she simply kicked her foot back up and stared from where she had left off.

The feat took nearly two full minutes, extended as she began to hit different poses that stretched her back and tested her core in different ways. She had been doing fine, although her hands were definitely getting sweaty and slippery, her golden eyes staring at a singular point on the roof as she focused.

"Oi! What are you doing?"

Squeaking in surprise her legs tumbled over her head, sending her sprawling onto her back as she hit the tiles with a groan. She had just been fortunate enough that she had maintained her center of balance, ensuring that she didn't roll to either side of the roof. Panting and catching her breath, she turned her head to look at a downward angle, scowling as a familiar figure came into view. She hissed at him as she slowly picked herself up, crouching on the roof. "What do you want?!"

"Huh?" It was obvious that he couldn't hear her from the distance, but she didn't want to raise her voice any more than necessary. Before he could even react or ask her what she had said, she leapt over to his roof, landing softly and scampering to the edge before dropping herself down gently to land on his balcony. He was slightly started at her sudden closeness, but he regained his composure as she folded her arms across her chest, leaning against the railing.

"What do you want?"

He looked slightly sheepish, hand subconsciously moving to the back of his neck as he avoided her gaze. "Nothing." His eye twitched. "Thought you learned your lesson last night."

Rei felt her heart flutter at the mention, but she refused to let it get a rise out of her. Instead she rolled her eyes, looking away and staring at the half open glass door in front of her. "I was running last night. This is different."

"Don't lie. I saw you slip multiple times."

Multiple times? An eyebrow quirked up, elegantly arching on her face. "How long were you watching me?"

"Don't make it weird. I saw you from my desk."

She tilted her head, nodding as she considered his answer. It seemed to check out, since there was clearly a line of sight up to where she had been practicing. With the moon full and high in the sky, her outline would have been illuminated fairly well. Deeming his excuse acceptable, she shrugged her shoulders. "Can't let up on training. I missed a lot in Hosu."

"Hah. Not as much as I did." The scowl returned to his face, a dark look as he reflected upon his internship. He turned on her after hearing a chortle from the girl, eye twitching as she poorly tried to hide it behind her arm. "The hell're you laughing at?"

"When you came back from internships… your hair…" She snickered as he rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Whatever." It only made her laugh harder, but eventually she calmed down, a smile on her face as she stared up at him. Turning her body she offered her hands to him, smile only widening as he immediately set his right hand in hers. It was a habit now, the movement instinctual.

Much to her satisfaction, his forearms were in good condition. She instead turned toward his hands, massaging out his palms in different, methodical manners, feeling the way that they softened like putty in her grasp. There was a soft breeze that barely moved the trees, just enough to signify that the cool night air had arrived. She was still only dressed in her bra and shorts, but she was still hot from the workout she had finished. Or rather, her workout that had come to an untimely, sudden close. Not like she was complaining though. Standing in comfortable silence, she would take this moment as it was.

Now that she didn't need to focus as much attention on his forearms, she was much more thorough with his hands. There was a lot more muscle on his hands and fingers than on her own, a testament to his quirk, how hard he trained, and the difference between them. Her own hands were rather strong, as she had built up a grip strength that was even stronger than a lot of boys. But in comparison to his muscular build she was slender and dextrous. She wondered if it had to do with how much sweat he secreted in his hands, naturally making them more built up for a multitude of types of endurance. Digging her thumbs and other digits into the muscles she felt as they slowly began to loosen up, even just a little. Once she was satisfied she switched to the other side carefully.

Silence, and a warm summer's night. She had taken her time, knowing that there was no rush, no places to be after this. As she released his hand she felt disappointment that their time came to an end, crossing her arms over her chest as she attempted to conserve her warmth while watching him flex his hands, rubbing them together.

They stood still, looking at one another as though unsure of what to do next. It was after a particularly harsh shudder surged through Rei's body from the cold that he moved closer, ruffling her hair just as he had the night before. This time Rei tilted her head into his palm, snuggling closer to the gesture, eyes fluttering close for a moment before moving to the ground.

"Have you figured it out yet?"

Gold eyes looked up in confusion for a moment, searching Bakugou's own for a clue as to what he meant before her eyes widened, recalling their parting words the previous day. To be frank she had forgotten about that, shaking her head in reply as she looked away. He removed his hand from her head, making her frown in disappointment. In fact, he seemed rather disappointed as well, brows furrowed slightly as he looked down at her.

She didn't want that look on his face; she didn't want to disappoint him, after all the trust he had put in her.

"No… But I will."

He exhaled sharply through his nose, a reserved and slightly more refined snort. "Then hurry up."

She smiled. "Okay."

With a nod he moved back toward his room, a sign that the conversation was over, even though Rei wished she could stay longer. But she was freezing, and she wanted to get a good night's rest before school the next day. Whispering goodbye, she jumped onto the railing, perching for a moment before leaping over back to her roof. Wiggling back in through her window she turned around once she got inside, locking eyes with red orbs that shimmered even in the dark. He nodded once before sliding his door closed, disappearing back into his room, much to Rei's disappointment.

She had lied. She had a good idea of what Bakugou meant, what he intended to say without words. But she wasn't ready to accept it yet. Rei was still struggling with what she felt towards him, and she couldn't move past her own emotions that she grappled with until she knew what she felt for sure. She knew she was stalling. But if she stalled, then things could remain just the way they were, in this safe zone where she could avoid heartbreak and damage.

Rei wanted to stay in this state forever, but she knew that something would change and soon, whether she wanted it to or not. And only she was responsible for which way the pendulum would inevitably fall first.

Bakugou (9:29 PM)
How's your back

Bakugou (9:35 PM)
I know you're still up

Akatsuki (9:36 PM)
I was showering stupid

Akatsuki (9:37 PM)
But it's better. The scar's gone. Just stiffness today

Bakugou (9:37 PM)
Who the hell're you calling stupid?

Akatsuki (9:38 PM)
You. Obviously. Baka-gou

Bakugou (9:39 PM)
I hate you so much

Akatsuki (9:41 PM)
:3

Bakugou (9:42 PM)
Stop bothering me and sleep

Akatsuki (9:45 PM)
You texted me first

Akatsuki (9:46 PM)
Turn your vibration off

Bakugou (9:48 PM)
Whatever

Bakugou (9:48 PM)
Night

Akatsuki (9:50 PM)
Good night

AN: I'm super sorry; I had planned on putting this chapter up yesterday, but by the time I got home and cooked dinner and everything I was super wiped and it was late. Sorry about that! But here's some fun Akatsuki and Bakugou interactions.

I feel like every time I go to write these notes, I forget everything I wanted to tell y'all...

Another update on plot things and such and where I am in the writing process for this story. I'm just going to spoil it a bit for now; I was trying to include the movie in the story, but I'm just not able to figure out how I want to write it (I outlined for days, but the actual writing just isn't happening). As such, I'm going to be removing it temporarily and perhaps re-adding it as a special chapter later on. A lot of you really enjoyed that special fantasy ending chapter that I did, so I'm thinking of adding more special chapters as well as we go along. To be honest, I've been procrastinating a bunch of writing for this story because I was so stuck on that movie storyline, so I'm going to be temporarily scrapping it in the hopes that I will be motivated to write the rest of the actual core manga/ anime plot. I will try my best to advance the plot now and work hard to write more content! Please be patient with me as I figure these things out.

Reviews, reviews, reviews. Thank you for your reviews!

dragontamer64: I know it's a week late, but best of luck for your finals! I'm glad that my comments and story can make you laugh; I do try to incorporate elements of humor because that's just a part of my style as well. Please rest up and enjoy the summer as we finally make it into summer break! (technically I don't have a summer break; I actually have even more classes more frequently over the summer due to the intense nature of my program). And I totally get scrolling to the bottom to see my responses; it's why I really do try to personalize my responses for reviews. I'm thankful for all my readers, and I hope that I show that when I respond.

yaoi4adollar: Honestly, writing soft Bakugou is kind of hard because we don't get to see too much of him being a soft little noodle (mostly just screen caps and soft faces, and not a lot of dialogue), so I'm glad you think it's in character! If you like this sort of content, I think you'll like the upcoming few chapters. Please look forward to them!

ansegiel: Originally when I first outlined this story, Rei was going to be a complete solo player. But I really like the idea of found families, and I thought it would be a lot more wholesome if she had at least someone to rely on instead of making things completely hopeless. I strongly believe that, no matter where we are in life, there will always be at least one person who cares, and it's our responsibility to both find those people and hold on to them as well as recognize when we are those people for someone else and never let them go.

Gender bend deku: Hahaha, I will do my best to release weekly now. I'm aiming for Sunday night, but sometimes (like last night) my schedule won't allow it since I work weekends and technically I don't ever had a solid end time for work (long story). I don't know if I mentioned this before, but while this is definitely a Bakugou and Akatsuki pairing, it will probably be a long time before they're "officially" together, if at all. I'm more interested in working through character development and waiting until the right time for their characters and drives to align before forcing a pairing together. Sorry if this is agonizing! But please trust that this is the pairing that I have chosen :D

CocoaFirefly: Thank you so much for all your reviews! It was so awesome and heartwarming for me to get all the notifications of your reviews when I woke up. I am glad that you're enjoying this story, and I will do my best to try and stick with a regular updating schedule, although it might shift due to the nature of my coursework for school and regular work.

ILikeFoxes828: Thank you! I'm glad that you are enjoying this story. It's kind of crazy to look at the big picture and see how much I've written. I'm happy that you are looking forward to future content; I'm actually very excited for the next few chapters, so I hope you will be too. Thank you again!

If you like something, please leave a review! Thank you so much for reading so far :D