NeonHorizon: I have a lot of fun writing this story :)
"This book was really good, Shirayuki. Um…do you have any more that you'd recommend?"
She had been staring down at her own book, but jumped a little when Midoriya appeared beside her desk. "…oh…um…y-yes, just a moment…" Shirayuki reached into her bag and withdrew a book of Egyptian mythology. "…this one…is a little different, but it's pretty interesting…"
"Thanks. Where do you get these from anyway? I don't think I've seen most of these in book stores."
"…ah…m-my grandmother…orders them online for me…" She started to tell him about one particularly interesting website when she saw Bakugou enter the classroom. He gave Midoriya a short glare before taking his seat and Shirayuki slouched down in her chair a little. "…r-right so…if you want…um…I-I could bring a few books tomorrow…if you want…"
"That would be great. Thanks, Shirayuki."
When he was gone, she felt a kick against one of the legs of her chair and flinched. "…d-did you need something…Bakugou-kun…?"
"What're you reading?"
To her surprise, she suddenly saw his face to the right of hers as he leaned forward to look over her shoulder. Cheeks flushing pink, she bowed her head. "…it's…just a book of folklore…stories and…things like that…" she mumbled. A hand gripped her left shoulder as he looked down at the pages and she closed her eyes. Why is he so close? My heart…is beating really fast. It kind of hurts.
His lips twisted into a scowl for a moment and then he leaned back in his seat again. "Give me a book."
"…wh-what…?" Shirayuki turned in her seat to look at him and saw him frowning. "…you…want to read one of my books…?"
Bakugou held out a hand. "Yeah. Give me your favorite one."
"…er…o-okay…just a moment…" The girl rummaged through her bag, hoping that he really would read it and not destroy it right in front of her. Bullies had done that in the past; pretended to be interested and then tear the pages out of a book to make her upset. Finding it, she lifted the book with trembling hands. "…it's…Greek mythology…s-so I hope that's okay…um…"
He took it from her and immediately flipped through it. "Whatever. I'll give it back when I'm done with it."
Still really confused, Shirayuki turned to face the front of the classroom. She could hear the pages flipping, but slower, and she realized that he really was reading it. Why though? She greeted her friends when they came over to say good morning and this time, the boy behind her paid them no mind.
Classes actually passed without any sort of incident. They had to partner up at one point, but Kirishima came over to grab her before Bakugou could claim her this time. She was grateful, but at the same time she felt bad for Sero, who ended up being paired with Bakugou.
"Man, he's really pissed off," Kaminari commented, looking toward their grumpy classmate. He was currently glaring in their direction.
"Well we couldn't let him keep hogging Yuki-chan all to himself," Ashido stated. "I mean, look at how scared she gets around him! He needs to dial it back a notch or he'll make her start to hate him."
"…I…don't think I could hate anyone…" Shirayuki argued.
Kaminari rolled his eyes. "You're too nice sometimes."
"So I saw you walking to school with that boy from 1-C again. Are you sure you guys aren't more than friends? You look pretty cute together." The pink-haired girl grinned when she saw Shirayuki blush. "What? It's true."
He did stick up for me yesterday when Bakugou found me after school. And he's a really good friend. And…I get that fluttery feeling around him. Shirayuki fidgeted with the hairband around her wrist, smiling behind her mask.
"Looks like you missed your chance, Kirishima."
"What?! Seriously? Wait, so are you guys dating?"
"…n-no…we're still just friends…" Though she was starting to wonder if she should ask Shinsou if he felt that fluttery sensation around her as well.
At lunch, Shirayuki got her food first and agreed to find a table for their group of four to sit at. She had just settled in when a tray was set down across from her and the chair was forcefully pulled out. Her crimson eyes widened as they met a pair of narrowed eyes the same color. What…is he doing…?
"What was that about in class? Why did you avoid me?" Bakugou demanded.
"…I…wanted to work with my friends…"
He scowled and looked down at his meal. "Whatever. It's not like I really care. I'm not moving so those nerds can find another place to sit. Eat your damn food." With that, he began eating in the angriest way she had ever seen anyone eat.
She glanced up and caught Ashido and Kaminari giving her curious looks. Her shoulders lifted in a subtle shrug. Then the chair beside hers was pulled out and occupied by their red-haired classmate. "…K-Kirishima-kun…?"
"Hey, Yuki-chan. Mind if I sit here?" He grinned when she shook her head. "Oh, wow. That all looks really good. You've got to stock up on calories for the training today, right? Is that going to be enough?"
"…should be…um…my friend…gave me something for if my blood sugar drops too low…so I should be alright…"
"Your friend's a pretty good guy, isn't he?"
"Shut up! We're trying to eat here!" Bakugou snapped.
Kirishima blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry. My bad." He looked over at Shirayuki and saw the girl slouching. Her head was bowed, her shoulders shaking a little. "Hey. You okay, Yuki-chan? You want to go somewhere else? I can help you carry your stuff," he said in a quieter tone.
"…I…I'm fine…a hero should be braver than this…"
"What? No way! Don't think like that; you're just a little shy! You can totally be a hero, Yuki-chan. You're awesome." He saw her face turning red and tilted his head, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Yuki-chan?"
"…you're…e-embarrassing me…" she stammered.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" He lifted his hand, but could not help smiling. "You know, that bashfulness is really cute."
She lowered her mask and began to eat, but she could feel the boy across from her glaring. Thinking back to what Shinsou had said the day before, about him probably liking her, she had her doubts. Do you usually glare at someone that you like? I haven't really talked to boys much, but that doesn't seem right.
Shirayuki's anxiety spiked when she was told to pair up for hero training. Partially because she had to worry about burning through all of her calories for the day and partially because she was immediately grabbed by a particular ash blond. Why? This is twice now. She looked to her friends, hoping that they would accept her silent apology. Instead, they looked rather concerned. That's…not good.
"Shirayuki, do you want to pair up with me?" Midoriya called, walking over to her. He glanced at Bakugou, who was busy studying the course they would be navigating through. The objective was to face off against another pair of students and try to capture them, while also defending a point in the course.
"…I…um…I'd like to, but…"
"She's taken, Deku. Move on." Bakugou was glowering at him now, moving to stand a little too close to Shirayuki for her own comfort.
"…I-I'm sorry, Midoriya-kun…" Shirayuki bowed slightly in apology. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to steady her nerves. A hero can work with anyone, right? I need to be able to do this.
She was feeling a little bit self-conscious this time. Last time they had worn their gym outfits, but now they were wearing their hero costumes. Hers consisted of a tight-fitting dark violet bodysuit with black armor over the chest, forearms, and lower legs. The armor was weighted, as were her black boots, to help steady her when she used an energy blast. Though she hoped that her training in the forest would be help her lighten the weights in time. There was a lavender belt secured around her waist with a pouch near the back of her right hip, meant to hold provisions in case her blood sugar dropped too low.
The girl drew her hair back into a loose ponytail and anxiously fidgeted at the tight-fitting black mask that was part of her costume. It hid her nose and mouth, while remaining more secure than her usual medical masks. "…who…are we facing…?" she inquired, turning to Bakugou.
"We're up against that nerd Deku and that floaty girl. So we're gonna need a lot of fire power to take them down fast, got it? Don't hesitate or feel bad about hitting them. You ate a ton, right? So you could probably blast her off her feet with a huge calorie blast! Leave Deku to me!"
She looked toward Midoriya, who still seemed slightly concerned about the pair, but appeared to cheer up a little when Uraraka started asking about their plan. Midoriya-kun is great at analyzing people's techniques and quirks so…he'll be a strong opponent. Especially because he's so smart. And Uraraka-chan is really good, too. Her quirk is kind of scary and she's pretty good at using it.
Curling a hand into a fist, she turned back to Bakugou and nodded. "…a-alright…I'm going to do my best…Bakugou-kun…"
"Do better than that!" Grabbing her shoulders, he smirked down at her. "Listen up! If you take her down, I'll buy you ice cream after school! Got it?! I can handle Deku so you just worry about her!"
"…ice cream…?" Shirayuki blinked, confused. It was probably the kindest thing she had ever heard him say to anyone; offering to buy them ice cream. "…you'll…get me…ice cream…?" she asked, frowning behind her mask.
"We're both gonna get ice cream, red eyes! I'm not gonna sit there and just watch you eat!" A pinkish hue was creeping onto his face and he scowled. Gritting his teeth, he leaned down a little. "Just shut up and do this!"
"Young Bakugou! Shirayuki! Is everything alright over there?" All Might called, having noticed the odd interaction.
"…e-everything's fine…" the girl quietly replied.
"We're fine!"
Is this really okay? Shirayuki relaxed a little when he released her shoulders and leaned back. As she saw the pink in his face gradually fade, realization hit her and she started to blush red. Did he…just ask me out after school…or am I misunderstanding...?
The blond grabbed her hand to pull her off to the side as they waited for their turn in the course. Staring straight ahead, he muttered, "We'd better win."