*beep beep beep*
...
*beep beep beep*
...
*beep beep beep*
Rui rolled over and groaned, reaching half-heartedly for her alarm clock.
*beep beep beep*
...
*beep beep beep*
...
*beep beep beep*
She kept searching with her hand, tapping until she found the device and hit the button. She let her hand slip down to dangle from the side of her bed, giving herself a moment or two to actually wake up. She begrudgingly got out of bed, pulled her robe on, and made her way into the kitchen to make coffee- only to realize that she hadn't unpacked everything for the kitchen and still needed to buy groceries.
"Ugh...!"
*bzzz...bzzz...bzzz...*
"*yawn*Hello?"
"Good morning, Rui! Sorry did I wake you?"
"No, my stupid alarm did. What's up, Mina?"
"Oh, not much, just wondering if you wanna grab some breakfast before we go shopping?"
"That'd actually be perfect. I still have to get groceries and I haven't unpacked the kitchen stuff yet. Oh, by the way, I invited Ochaco to go shopping with us."
"Hehe, I know, she's with me right now! How long do you need to get ready?"
"Um... like ten to fifteen minutes?"
"Okie dokie, meet us at that little cafe down the street?"
"Sure, sounds good. See you soon."
"Yup, don't take too long!"
Rui smirked as the call ended and she went back into her bedroom, going to her closet to pick out an outfit for the day- choosing a yellow button-up blouse with a light yellow to pink ombre skirt sporting a simple floral pattern and pink heels. After she got dressed, she brushed her hair and did her makeup before grabbing her phone and purse. Slipping out the front door, she locked the door and slid her keys into her purse, then made her way down the stairs to the street and started heading towards Luna Rose Cafe- a cute little cafe that had started making its name after opening a few months prior. It didn't take her long to reach the cafe and she grinned when she saw Mina and Ochaco sitting outside at one of the patio tables- drinks already ordered.
"Morning, ladies." Rui greeted them, hugging each as they stood and embraced her.
"Morning, Rui."
"I hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and ordered your favorite coffee drink," Mina said, gesturing to the fresh cup in front of the open seat. "You sounded really tired when I called."
Rui hung her purse on the corner of her chair and took the mug of coffee in her hands, breathing in the sweet aroma before taking a deep sip. "Mmmm..." She sighed with content, blushing a bit when Mina and Ochaco giggled at the whipped cream on her lip. "Thanks, Mina, I needed this," she said, hurrying to lick away the whipped cream.
"Rough night?"
Rui sighed. "You could say that." She took another sip, then added, "You'll never guess who lives right across from me in the next building."
"Who?"
"Katsuki."
"No way, really?"
"Oof, that's gotta be rough, girl."
Rui lightly tapped the side of the mug. "Yeah... things are going to be awkward, that's for sure..."
"Is it because of what happened yesterday afternoon?" Ochaco asked.
"That's part of it," Rui replied. "I really should have reached out to him sooner, I just..."
"You didn't know how to after things were left the way they were when you had to go back to Kurihama."
"Exactly. And honestly, even if I had reached out sooner, I don't think things would have gone differently than they did yesterday. Katsuki would still be just as mad and just as stubborn."
"Well, at least he knows now, right? You guys can work things out and hopefully things can go back to normal or at least get better between you."
"You know, Ochaco, I admire your optimism," Rui said with a smile. "It's no wonder you and Izuku get along so well. Speaking of which, how are things going with you guys? It must be hard with him being so busy all the time."
Ochaco blushed as she grinned sheepishly. "Things are really great. Our three year anniversary is coming up really soon."
"Aww, that's great! I'm so happy for you guys."
"Hello, ladies, are we ready to order some food?"
Rui, Mina, and Ochaco looked up at the waiter and nodded, placing their orders.
Katsuki groaned as the sunlight shone through the curtain hanging over the sliding door and he rolled onto his side, checking the time on his phone and seeing a text from Eijiro.
'Hey, what are your plans for today?'
Katsuki blinked the sleep from his eyes for a moment, then replied. 'Not much until later today.'
Katsuki rolled onto his back and stretched his arms above his head, then stared at the ceiling a moment.
*ding*
Katsuki looked at his phone, seeing a new text from Eijiro.
'Wanna hang out?'
'Sure, what time?'
'Let's meet up at that cafe down the street from your place. Luna Rose? Say in like fifteen minutes?'
'Sure, just need to shower first. See you there.'
'Cool, see you then!'
Katsuki sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his futon, yawning as he rubbed his neck before standing. He went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower, letting the cool water rush over his body- hoping to wake up a bit quicker- for a few moments before washing up. He shut off the water a few minutes later, grabbing the towel from nearby before going to the wardrobe next to the futon. He pulled out fresh boxers, then slid into a pair of jeans, a grey tank top, and pulled on a light jacket before putting on a pair of socks and grabbing his phone, keys, and wallet. He checked the time before sliding on his shoes and left his apartment, locking up behind him before descending the stairs to the street below.
As he walked, he glanced up at Rui's building and sighed. He still couldn't believe that of all people to move in there, it just had to be her. 'Tch, whatever...'
It was a nice day out, but a cool breeze blew through the streets so he was glad that he had brought a light jacket. The smell of petrichor hung heavy in the air still and it brought him comfort. After that evening with Rui when she had explained how counting the seconds between each crack of thunder, he had grown fond of the rain and of the smell of petrichor. It reminded him of happier times with Rui, but with that came the sadness and anger he felt about how things were left between them. Even after all that time, he still blamed himself for pushing her away and not telling her how he felt about her, especially after she had left that letter for him- the same letter that he kept tucked away in his wallet and the same letter that he would take out every now and then to reread.
He neared Luna Rose Cafe and saw Eijiro approaching from the other side of the street, hurrying over once the way was clear of oncoming traffic.
"Hey, man, how'd you sleep?"
"Like crap."
"Why? Did something happen when you got home?"
Katsuki sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it, alright?"
Eijiro knew better than to press him, but when he saw Katsuki stop just outside of the cafe and look towards one of the patio tables, he had a hunch it had something to do with who was sitting at that particular table. "It has something to do with Rui, doesn't it?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it. Let's just get something to eat and go."
Before either of them could say anything more to one another, Mina had noticed them approaching and waved them over to join them at their table.
"Good morning you two! Fancy seeing you here!"
"Hello, ladies! You're looking beautiful today."
"Aww, Kirishima, you're so sweet!"
Katsuki barely glanced at Rui as he sat down next to Eijiro at the table, but he did notice how pretty she looked in her outfit and with the way her hair curled a bit as it sat atop her shoulders.
Mina called over their waiter to take Katsuki and Eijiro's orders then looked to them with a big smile. "So, what're you two up to today?"
"Just hanging out, haven't really figured out anything yet," Eijiro answered. "What about you ladies?"
"We're going shopping!" Mina said.
"I still need to get some things for my new apartment and Mina and Ochaco offered to help me with that today," Rui added.
"Oh? Congrats!" Eijiro said with a smile. "Where are you living?"
"She lives in the building next to mine," Katsuki said, leaning back in his chair nonchalantly.
"Whoah, no way!" Eijiro looked between Katsuki and Rui. "So are you guys like neighbors or something?"
"You... could say that," Rui answered. "Our units are on the same level, across the way from one another."
"Cool!"
Katsuki was grateful when the conversation veered towards other topics of discussion, then even more so when everyone's food arrived. He ate in silence, chancing glances at Rui to see if she was feeling as awkward as he was in their current situation- especially after how the day before had gone.
After a while, everyone had finished their meal and the waiter was waved over for the check. Eijiro offered his help to Rui and roped Katsuki into tagging along and once the check had been paid, everyone headed for the bus stop to catch the next bus to Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. Eijiro, Mina, and Ochaco were hoping that this would be good for Rui and Katsuki- wondering if this would help them start mending their broken relationship- while Rui and Katsuki were wondering if this was such a good idea and hoped that they could be civil enough around each other for the sake of their friends.