The sounds of the city faded away the closer they got to the forest and Shirayuki felt conflicted. The birds and wind made her feel calm, but then she remembered what was happening. She was walking into a forest with someone that she was pretty sure disliked her. A glance over showed a confident smirk on the boy's face and it sent a shiver down her spine. "…how far…are we going…?"
"What? Speak up, red eyes."
She took a deep breath, her hands curling into tight fists as she tried to summon forth some courage. "…ah…how far are we going…?" she repeated, slightly louder. "…I have plans tonight…"
The smirk fell, his mouth twisting in displeasure. The grip on her wrist tightened and he gritted his teeth as a very faint pink hue rose to his face. "So what? Do you like him or something?"
"…d-do I like…Kaminari-kun…?"
"The other one! That one with the shitty hair! Do you like him?!"
Shirayuki's fists loosened and she rubbed the back of her neck. "…I…admire him…we're friends…"
"You know what I mean!" Bakugou let go of her wrist now and turned to glare at her. They had gone a good distance from the street so he knew that she was unlikely to separate from him; she had not even known about the forest.
Seeing the hint of warmth in his face, it made her start to blush with embarrassment. "…y-you mean like…?"
"Yeah. So do you like him or what?"
"…I-I don't…know him well enough…" she admitted. The girl nervously ran her fingers along her dark hair, head bowed as she suddenly felt too anxious to meet his gaze. He…looks scary right now. Like he'd eat me.
The scowl was now replaced with a wolfish sort of grin. "Great. So you won't care if you miss hanging out with those nerds, right?"
Her pulse quickened and she shook her head. "…n-no…I mean, I…promised that I'd meet them tonight for a movie and…I-I don't like breaking promises…"
"So just tell them you won't be there. You've got his number."
"…but I don't…um…I don't want to miss…" Her hand was gripped now, her palm meeting Bakugou's, and she felt a rush of heat to her face. Shirayuki had never held hands with a boy before. Not even in elementary or middle school. Boys had never really gotten that close with her. A fluttery feeling began in her chest as he started leading her deeper into the forest along the path.
The girl's current situation was starting to remind her of a European fairy tale. A wolf, approaching a girl that was bringing food to her grandmother, along a forest path. There were a few variations concerning the ending, but she knew one almost inevitable part was when the wolf ate the girl. Is Bakugou-kun like a wolf? That smile gave me goose bumps. I can't stop thinking about how much he reminds me of that bully from middle school.
Shirayuki's back hit a tree trunk when they reached a clearing and she winced as his face drew close to hers. An arm braced against the tree trunk above her head, letting him lean down to her eye level. "…wh-what…?"
"What're you blushing about, red eyes?"
"…I…I don't know…" Her heart's palpitations were making her feel weak, her knees starting to shake a little. The warmth in her face increased and she closed her eyes. "…Bakugou-kun…you're too close…"
"Speak up! You always mumble like that nerd Deku!"
"I-I said you're too close!" she shouted, a hand planting on his chest and pushing. He actually moved back a little and blinked in surprise when he heard her raise her voice. His eyes went to the hand still on his chest and his smirk returned. "…I…I didn't mean to push you, but…"
"Come on! Yell at me like that again! Louder this time!"
"…I…I don't like…yelling at people…please just…"
"Do it or I'll make you regret it!" he snarled, leaning in close again. His free hand left his pocket, gripping her chin tightly and forcing her head back a little. "Come on, red eyes! Stand up for yourself! What if I was gonna take advantage of you?! What would you do?"
"STOP IT!" Shirayuki's right hand lifted and a blast of energy struck the tree right behind him. The bark smoldered and she felt tears of embarrassment form at the corners of her eyes. "…I-I'm sorry…I could have hurt you…"
Bakugou grinned, looking over his shoulder at the smoking tree bark. "That was awesome! Do it again! You've gotta yell like that when you use your quirk!"
"…n-no way…I can't…" She was released and slid down the tree trunk, sitting on the ground. Wrapping her arms around herself, she closed her eyes. I yelled at him! And I almost hit him with an energy blast! Her eyes shot open as a hand gripped hers and she was hauled to her feet. "…B-Bakugou-kun…"
Shift P.O.V
His eyes narrowed and he pushed her back against the tree again. The first time he had used his quirk for class, no one acted impressed. No one except for her. Shirayuki's eyes had widened and she appeared genuinely amazed by his quirk. He was unsure if her reaction really made him happy or if it was just her reaction compared to the indifference of everyone else, but it had made him notice her.
She was trembling now. He could feel it through his grip on her hand and he could see that her knees were shaking. "Shoot a blast at that tree over there," he demanded, nodding toward a particularly sturdy tree.
"…I-I don't…want to…"
"Just do it!" Bakugou crossed his arms and waited for her to comply. When she tried to give him a pleading look, he met it with a glower. She lifted a shaking hand and shot a blast of energy at the tree, leaving the bark broken and slightly indented. When she shot it, her body stumbled back into the tree behind her and she smacked her head against the trunk.
The girl whimpered, rubbing at the bruise forming on her scalp. "…B-Bakugou-kun…I don't want to do this…"
"Tough." He grabbed her hand to pull her away from the tree. "Stand like you're gonna shoot again." She obeyed and he grimaced. Her legs were together, shoulders hunched forward in anxiety. "Wrong. You're definitely gonna fall over if you stand like that. Idiot. I'll show you how it's done."
The boy moved closer and nudged her legs apart with his knee from behind. Grabbing her left leg, he posed it behind her to help steady her and then he repositioned her right leg in front of her, keeping them spread, but steady. Next he gripped her shoulders and squared them. "Try again."
As she attempted to shoot the tree again, he felt a sense of pride. This time, she remained standing. The recoil did send her leaning back a little, but she managed to stay upright. Thankfully, her attention was completely on the damaged bark and her triumph rather than the boy. He hated it, but there was a faint heat in his face from having touched her.
Shirayuki was thin due to her quirk consuming all of the calories she ate so he was expecting her to be kind of boney, but her limbs were surprisingly toned. Now she was looking at him with awe. That same sort of awe that she had shown when she first saw him use his quirk. When she bowed and thanked him, he rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "Now you won't be as useless in a fight," he growled, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.
Shift P.O.V
I did it…? I did it! She looked from the broken tree bark to the boy and felt a smile tugging at her lips behind her mask. Shaking now from low blood sugar as well as excitement, the girl sat against the tree from before. "…I…I'm really thankful…for your help…"
He sat next to her and ran a hand through his ash blond hair. "Yeah, well, if we're going to pair up, I want you to be able to stand up by yourself," he grumbled. The boy rummaged in his backpack and produced a wrapped sweet bun. "Here. You like sweet stuff, right? And you've gotta get your blood sugar back up."
"…thank you…" Shirayuki bowed her head and turned away slightly as she lowered her mask. The first bite sent a pleasant feeling running through her and she closed her eyes. She could feel him looking at her as she ate, but in this moment she was too distracted to care. She was so happy about getting help with her quirk.
When a hand reached over, she jolted at the sudden feeling of his thumb drawing over the corner of her lips and collecting some filling that was smudged there. Her face instantly turned red, heart racing and stomach doing flips. "…Bakugou-kun…?" She saw him lick the filling off of his thumb and quickly lowered her gaze again.
"What're you blushing about, red eyes?"
"…n-nothing…!" The rest of her snack was eaten in a hurry and she tried not to let any more food get on her face. When he stares at me like that, it makes my chest feel tight. Like I can't breathe. What is this?
"I heard those nerds say you live with your grandma. What about your parents?" When he asked this, he was looking straight ahead rather than at her.
The jittery, almost happy feeling that she had experience before started to fade. "…my mom…works overseas and sends us money…and my dad…was a pro hero…"
"He was?"
"…he…was killed on the job…when I was seven…s-so I decided to become a hero…to carry on his name…" she quietly explained. Settling her mask back in place, Shirayuki frowned. "…I need to go home soon…"
Bakugou gritted his teeth and stood, glaring down at the girl. "Fine. I don't care anyway." He started off, listening to her stand up and start to follow him. Turning toward her, he held out his hand. She simply stared at it, puzzled. "Hold my hand, red eyes! Why do you think I'm doing this?!"
"…s-sorry…" Shirayuki took his hand and blushed pink when she felt his fingers lace with hers. Is this normal?
"Just stay close, okay?"
"…alright…" Her eyes had been focused on the ground as she walked, but now they wandered up toward his face. He was looking away, but she could see a faint hint of pink in his cheeks. "…what…what was this today…?" she stammered. "…you…wanted me to come here…and…I don't know…if you want to be friends or…if you're teasing me…"
His face went red and he scowled. "What're you saying?! It's not like I like you or something!"