Katsuki turns out to be a much better teacher than Kanami had anticipated. With his help, she managed to make her first edible dinner and, with the instructions he leaves her, feels confident enough that she would be able to replicate her success in his absence. She wraps her arms around him in thanks, positively beaming. Katsuki merely chuckles, ruffles her hair, and promises to teach her more if she would like. Like there's a chance in hell I'd say no, she laughs to herself. For the next few days, Kanami walks to class with a large thermos of Katsuki's tea and a jar of honey in her backpack. As promised, none of her teachers call on her in class after calling role. Her training has been exclusively physical, as she is unable to use her quirk. At first, Hitoshi is looking forward to her newfound silence, but fifteen minutes into their training session he begins to miss her conversation.
"So, classes going okay?" He asks as she hits his palms. She raises an eyebrow in question before shrugging and nodding her head. "Must be nice not having to answer any questions." She chuckles silently, nodding her head again. "How long did Recovery Girl say this would last?" Kanami shrugs again, pausing her punches to grab her notebook and pen.
She didn't, but it varies. Could be 5 days to 3 weeks.
Hitoshi's eyebrows raise in surprise at this information. "And that's the only way you can communicate with people?" He asks, gesturing to her notebook. She nods again, dropping the book on the floor. What's got him so chatty? she wonders. "What about All Might?" She tilts her head in confusion before landing a few more punches to his hands. "I've seen you two talking without it." Her eyes widen in realisation and she reaches for her notebook again. Hitoshi stops her by resting a hand on her shoulder, forcing her gaze upward. "I can read lips alright," he tells her, suppressing a smirk. She smiles and mouths her response as clearly as possible.
We both know sign language.
"Sign language?" She nods her head in confirmation. "Guess that makes sense, you don't seem like the type that likes to be out of ways to talk," he teases. She smiles, breathing out a laugh, before rubbing the back of her head. "I've been meaning to pick that up, is it hard?" She looks up at him in shock, quickly shaking her head. "I knew this girl at my old school, went deaf when one of her classmate's quirks went off too close to her. She couldn't talk to anybody. Had to be transferred to another school. I always felt bad for not making more of an effort with it." Kanami smiles at his confession, resting a hand on his arm. Once she has his attention, she offers,
I can teach you if you want.
Hitoshi looks down at her in shock. She would do that? He knows there's an abundance of information on the internet, but it is usually better to practice with an actual person. "What would you start with?" He asks, after only a moment's hesitation, smirking a bit. She lights up and mouths, A, B, C's, while making signs with her hand. "Alright, show me and then I'll throw you on the treadmill." She giggles and walks him through each sign. Once he seems to have a decent grasp on it, she hops on the treadmill while he stands in front of her, practicing. Every once in a while, he forgets one and looks up at her, a questioning look on his face. She smiles, shows him the correct sign, and keeps running. The bell rings and Kanami quickly hops off the treadmill, bending over her knees to catch her breath. "How are you doing?" Hitoshi asks, looking for signs of over-exhaustion. She smiles, slowly straightening her posture.
I'm tired, she signs mouthing the words, but good.
Hitoshi smirks, nodding his head, before passing her her water bottle. While she drinks, Hitoshi goes back to pick up her notebook and pen from the other room and returns it to her. "Let's get you up to the front before your boyfriend comes looking for ya." She blushes but nods her head, following him. Once he notices, he slows his pace to walk beside her again. "You did good today," he tells her, keeping his gaze forward. He misses her head snap up to look at him, the surprised expression on her face. She taps his shoulder to get his attention.
Thank you, she signs with a larger smile than usual. Hitoshi is unable to stop the smirk that takes over his features.
"How do I say you're welcome?" She quickly shows him and watches him repeat the action, nodding her head in approval. Little bow means you're welcome, he repeats, got it.
"Hey, control freak!" The two look over to find Katsuki walking in their direction. Kanami smiles, quickly waving, and slows her pace for him to catch up. Hitoshi finds himself doing the same, unconsciously. "How'd everything go?" There's a slight edge to his voice, telling Hitoshi he isn't completely off the hook for his behaviour on Monday.
"Fine. The real work starts next week." He nods his head at Kanami, who smiles back at him and waves as he walks away. Katsuki scoffs in irritation.
"Everything really going okay?" He asks her once Hitoshi is out of earshot. She nods her head enthusiastically, quickly flipping through the pages of her notebook. She stops on a page detailing a list of exercises Hitoshi wants her to incorporate into her daily routine. As Katsuki scans over the page, he can't help but admit to himself that it's a good routine. Not overly strenuous, well-rounded. It's a solid plan. "Just making sure. Think you might want some help with any of that?" She looks up at him, smirk already in place, and coyly shrugs her shoulders. "Always helps to have someone to run with, I promise not to leave you too far behind," he teases. Kanami laughs, silently, and rolls her eyes.
Maybe, she scribbles on a different page.
"I'll take a maybe. See you later." He ruffles her hair, covering her face in a curtain of silver and blue. She narrows her eyes, scowling at his back as she puts her hair back up, before turning back around to change her clothes. Sunday can't come soon enough, she thinks, rubbing her already sore shoulders.
At lunch, she finds Katsuki waiting at the front with a large cup of hot tea in his hands. Kanami's eyes widen as she takes the warm cup from his hands, happiness radiating from her very being. Katsuki chuckles as he guides her through the line and to their usual seats. Everything goes by normally, everyone chatting and laughing, complaining about homework or classes, until something brushes the side of Kanami's leg. She glances down to find Katsuki's hand moving, fairly discretely, making different shapes. She looks up to see his usual slightly irritated expression on his face, but every once in a while, his eyebrows would draw together in concentration. She looks back down at his hand and recognises some of the shapes. He's spelling my name in sign, she realises. Immediately, a smile takes hold of her features that she covers with her hand. Naturally, Katsuki notices and nudges her with his shoulder.
"You okay?" He asks quietly, concern lacing his voice. Kanami just smiles and nods her head before resting it on his shoulder. He tenses up briefly before resting his hand on her knee. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something," he whispers. She tilts her head up to look at his face, a little worried at the seriousness of his tone. "You free on Sunday?" Relaxing a little, Kanami smiles and nods her head again. "Think you could stand to go out with me again?" She breathes out a silent laugh before nodding her head again as Katsuki smirks. "Pick you up around three?" At her nod, the two resume focusing on their friends' conversations. After walking her to class after lunch, Katsuki finds Eijiro waiting around the corner.
"So?" He asks upon seeing his friend. "This weekend a go?" Katsuki rolls his eyes at his Eijiro's enthusiasm, but nods his head none the less. "Sweet! My boy's gonna have a girlfriend by Monday morning." Katsuki's eyes widen as he quickly pulls his best friend into a headlock.
"Shut up, shitty hair! What if someone heard you?" Eijiro laughs, easily pulling out of Katsuki's grasp.
"Calm down, no one's gonna tell her. Got a plan on how you're gonna do it?" Katsuki's cheeks heat up as he averts his gaze.
"More or less." Picking up on his friend's nervousness, Eijiro rests a hand on Katsuki's shoulder.
"She's gonna say yes, dude, don't even worry about it." At his reassuring words, Katsuki smiles a bit.
"Thanks, hard head."
"Don't mention it, bro." The two fist bump before entering their next classroom.
By the time Sunday comes around, Kanami is more than a little suspicious of the looks Eijiro and Katsuki keep sharing. While her voice isn't completely back yet, she can manage to speak a few short sentences. As Katsuki refused to tell her what they were doing, she is unsure of what to dress for. With a groan, she grabs her phone and pulls up Katsuki's messages.
Can you at least tell me if we're going to be inside or outside?
After several minutes of waiting, pacing, and repeated checking her phone, Katsuki finally replies.
Outside lol dress warm
Kanami shakes her head at the less than informative text and returns to her closet. Where'd that black sweater go, she wonders, looking through the sweaters she has folded on the shelf above her hangers. Aha! She carefully retrieves the slightly oversized black sweater from the bottom of the pile before rummaging around for a pair of blue skinny jeans. She layers both items over a pair of tights and tank top for extra warmth. Glancing in the mirror, she leaves her hair down with its natural waves and curls and tries on a few different coloured beanies, before settling on a light grey one. After tying her cherry red Doc Martens, she runs down the stairs with her phone in one hand and her wallet in the other, quickly dropping both into a cross body purse. After double checking to make sure her notepad and pen are in her bag as well, she locks the door behind her and starts walking towards Katsuki's dormitory in the hopes of meeting him halfway. After just a few minutes, his spiky hair is visible over the hillside. Kanami smiles, quickly hiding behind a nearby tree. She waits in silence as his footsteps draw closer, watches him walk by with a basket in his hand. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she sneaks over to him and quickly wraps her arms around his waist as he jumps in surprise.
"Kanami?" He looks over his shoulder to find the small girl smiling up at him, clearly pleased at having scared him. "Nearly gave me a heart attack, I could have hurt you." She rolls her eyes at him, shaking her head, smile never leaving her face. She points at the basket in his hand, a questioning expression taking over her features. Katsuki smirks, draping his arm over her shoulders as he leads her towards the train just outside of their school. "This is part of the surprise." Further intrigued, Kanami allows him to lead her to their destination, only a little irked when he doesn't let her know what stop they're getting off on on the train. They exit a station Kanami had never been to before and Katsuki directs them, still not revealing their destination. She offers to hold the basket, as it looks fairly heavy, only for him to refuse. "What kind of guy would I be if I let you do all the heavy lifting? And sick no less." Kanami rolls her eyes at him.
"I'm not really sick, you know," she reminds him, grimacing a bit at how raspy her voice still is.
"No, but you are trying to save your voice, so no more talking." He winks down at her, secretly loving the way she puffs out her cheeks and rolls her eyes when he teases her. When they make it to the entrance of a park, Katsuki takes her hand and leads her inside. Kanami smiles, looking at all the different trees and flowers growing throughout the park, forcing Katsuki to stop so she can smell a few. "Tell you what," he says after their sixth stop, "we can stop and smell as many flowers as you want, after the thing we're going to." She looks up at him, eyebrows furrowed.
"This isn't it?" She asks, confusion evident in her voice. Katsuki smirks, shaking his head, and continues leading her down the path they're on.
"This is it," he reveals, gesturing to a large clearing with a massive projection screen. Kanami's eyes widen in shock, looking from Katsuki, to the screen, and back again. "They're playing one of those Studio Ghibli movies you like so much." She looks up at him in shock and silently asks which one. "You'll have to wait and see," he smirks at her. Bouncing in anticipation, she wraps her arms around his waist smiling from ear to ear. He pulls her over to a spot near the back, just close enough to have a good view of the movie once it starts and lays out a blanket he'd packed, gesturing for her to sit first. She bows her head before nearly dropping to the floor in her excitement, all while Katsuki just chuckles at her. "And," he begins after taking a seat next to her. "You can't see a movie without snacks." He opens the top of the picnic basket revealing an assortment of chips, candies, and sweets with a large thermos and a bottle of water. "Hot tea," he explains, pointing to the thermos. Kanami smiles up at him gratefully as he pours her a cup. Just a few minutes after the two are settled, the sun is just low enough to allow the projectors to be visible. The opening scene of Spirited Away starts playing and Kanami looks at Katsuki in shock before nearly tackling him in a hug.
Halfway through the film, the sun fully sets and the temperature quickly drops. Kanami shivers a bit, rubbing her arms to warm herself back up, when she feels something drape across her shoulders. She looks over to find Katsuki adjusting his jacket on her to fully wrap around her. She quickly shakes her head, fearing he'll be cold in just his long-sleeved henley, but he just smirks and holds up a finger mouthing the word watch. He rubs his hands together until they emit a soft orange glow before holding one up just a few inches from her cheek. She nearly gasps at the heat coming from it and looks at him in shock. He leans over until his lips are right next to her ear.
"Perks of being a walking bomb," he whispers, clearly amused at her reaction. She nods her head in understanding, a little embarrassed she didn't think of that before. He moves the picnic basket down a little on their blanket, holding his arm out for her to huddle into his side. She quickly complies, more than a little grateful at the sudden warmth. "Let me know if it gets too hot," he tells her. She nods her head, snuggling in a little more. Katsuki smirks, watching her for a few minutes before returning his attention to the movie. Weird little cartoon, he can't help but think. He had never really understood the fascination of these films, but he knew how much Kanami liked them so he was more than willing to sit through a few once in a while.
After the movie, Katsuki refuses to let Kanami help packing up or carry the basket on their way out. As promised, they stop every few feet to look at some new flower or the leaves on a tree, even the trees that had already lost their leaves to the chill. Katsuki had laughed outright when Kanami insisted those were the most striking trees. They take a side path, leading them deeper into the park and directly to a natural alcove where they are surrounded by lilies and early-blooming plum blossoms. Small lanterns light the path and a few hang overhead, partially hidden by willow trees. It's like a fairy circle, Kanami muses as she takes in the immense beauty. Katsuki watches her go from flower to flower, walking through the willow limbs, with a smile on his face.
"Safe to say you like it?" He asks, feeling his heart beat a little faster as his nerves try to take over. Kanami looks over at him, nodding her head enthusiastically. She walks a little closer to speak without having to strain so much to be heard.
"It's beautiful, this whole night is just… incredible," she sighs, happily. Katsuki smiles, rubbing the back of his neck. Kanami notices, recognising it as one of his nervous ticks, and gives him her full attention. He hasn't seemed this nervous since he asked me out, she wonders.
"I, uh… I have something I wanna ask you," he admits, looking anywhere but at her. Kanami nods her head, feeling her own heart race in anticipation. "I know we've only gone out a couple of times, but I really like you, Kanami." She feels her cheeks flush as her mind starts jumping to conclusions of where he's going with this, and she bites her lip in an attempt to keep her smile at bay. After a few seconds, Katsuki takes a deep breath, sets down the basket, and looks her in the eyes.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asks, signing each corresponding word. Kanami's eyes widen in shock as the air rushes out of her lungs. This time, she is unable to hide her smile as she nods her head, jumping to throw her arms around his neck. He easily catches her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She pulls back a bit, now eye level with him, and whispers,
"You taught yourself sign to ask?" Katsuki smirks, putting her feet on the ground, but still holds her close.
"I taught myself a lot more than that," he admits, tone more than a little cocky. She beams, taking the basket.
"Let's see what you got," she whispers, signing back at him. They begin the trek back to the train station, talking and signing the whole way. Kanami mouths her words silently, so as to be gentler on her still-healing vocal cords, more than impressed at how much he had learned in so little time.
Think you might want a tutor for any of that? She mouths, signing. Katsuki chuckles, seeing the similarity to his question the other day.
"Maybe," he replies, clearly teasing her. She laughs silently, nodding her head.
I'll take a maybe.