NeonHorizon: Just in case you thought that Shinsou was just going to sit at home that day...

They're off to a weird start. Shinsou lingered down the street in the shade beneath a tree, keeping himself just out of sight. He saw Shirayuki emerge from her house with a blond boy that he recognized as one of her friends and knew exactly how her "date" was going to react to that.

Waiting for them to move on, he saw not one, but both of the other boys hold her hands. Frowning, he rubbed the back of his neck and considered leaving. He had intended to follow them at a distance so he could make sure Shirayuki would be alright. When her bully demanded that she go on a date with him, he had immediately started to worry about her. The thought of her being stuck spending time alone with someone that scared her so much made him feel anxious.

She had her friend with her now. Surely she would be alright if her friend was with her. He would protect her if anything bad happened. The instant that Shinsou decided to go home, he saw her bully forcefully pull her away from her friend. The boy with bright blond hair still walked behind them, but was no longer able to hold her hand.

I can't let her be alone with them, Shinsou determined. He waited a few minutes before going down the street next to the one they had gone down. It gave him enough distance to go unnoticed, but he could still keep watch over her through the spaces between the houses.

He knew that she could probably take care of herself if she was pushed hard enough. He had seen her do it before a few times. This did absolutely nothing to make him want to leave her alone. The boy was still worried. Unlike those other times, he had seen the impact that this kid's bullying had on Shirayuki. This bullying was different, too.

As far as he was aware, this boy never actually seemed to make fun of her. He was picking on her in a different way. In a completely immature, grade-school crush way. Shirayuki, having never been treated that way in the past, could only be frightened by it.

He stole her first kiss, Shinsou remembered as he watched them. What would stop him from trying to take something else? He remembered how Shirayuki had cried. How she had stayed home from school and refused to speak to even her grandmother. It hurt him to see her that way. I can't let something like that happen again. I'll interrupt if I have to, but I'm not going to let him hurt her that way a second time.

Pushing his hands into his pockets, he saw them turn a corner and hesitated. The boy checked the time on his phone. It was still decently early in the morning; nowhere near lunchtime. Where is he taking her first? He ran a hand through his hair and began to follow them again when enough time had passed. Shinsou began making a mental checklist of things that he needed to get at the store, just in case her date went really sour. Just in case he needed to cheer her up again.

When the three heroes in training entered the cat café, he felt a pang of disappointment. He had enjoyed his time there with Shirayuki the previous day and had hoped that it would become their special place to go. That would be impossible now. As he prepared himself to make a quick trip to the convenience store, he saw some familiar faces approach the café.

No. Shinsou's eyes widened and his body tensed as he watched the small group enter the shop. They had gone to middle school with him and Shirayuki. They were some of the cruelest classmates she had been forced to deal with. He had to resist the urge to charge across the street and intervene.

The group emerged a few minutes later, all laughing and one of them calling insults over their shoulder into the café. Insults regarding someone's wide mouth and insinuating a lewd act. It made his blood boil to hear them talk to her that way.

Following the little group with his gaze, he found his irritation growing. Shinsou could only imagine that she was crying in the café now. He let the group get ahead of him a bit before slowly walking behind them. Once they were around the corner, he spoke up. "Hey. Do you remember me?"

Shift P.O.V

Why can't I be stronger? I'm training to become a hero, but I can't stop crying. I'm not even injured. Shirayuki wiped at her eyes for the fifth time since leaving the café, using her free hand. Her other hand was currently in a tight, warm grip as her "date" led her down the sidewalk.

Behind them, Kaminari was trying to remain optimistic about the day, but it was clear that he was just as upset by what had happened. His cheerful smile had fallen, replaced by a troubled grimace. "Hey, maybe you should just do this another time. She's upset."

"I said I was gonna fix it! Why are you still here anyway?!" Bakugou grumbled. He glared over his shoulder, saw Shirayuki's shining red eyes, and scowled. "Damn it. Just stop crying." This was said in a softer tone as he looked forward again.

"How are you going to fix it? Are you going after those other kids?"

"No! Idiot! I'm going to make her feel better!" The boy surveyed the shops ahead of them. He had mentioned before that he had been planning the date all night, but now he was scrambling to find some way to make her feel better. She was becoming more and more reluctant to be out with him. "Just go home."

"Uh, no. I'm hanging out with Yuki today," Kaminari protested.

Shirayuki was abruptly yanked forward, closer to Bakugou. An arm wrapped around her waist from behind, sparks raising up from around Kaminari's free hand as he pulled her back. "…K-Kaminari-kun…?"

"You want me to zap him?" he asked, smiling.

"This isn't over yet!"

"Look, dude, she's upset. Just let her go home."

The other blond gritted his teeth, glowering at Kaminari as he hugged the girl. It was clear that he was getting frustrated, but at the same time he seemed to be holding back a little. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he lowered his gaze to Shirayuki's face. She looked startled, but the tears had stopped at least. "One more place and I'll take you home. Got it?"

"Just let her go home," Kaminari repeated.

"I'm making a compromise, damn it!"

"…a-alright…" the girl conceded. As Kaminari released her, she gave him an apologetic look. It's just one more place. Then I can go home. Bowing deeply to her friend, she muttered a word of thanks. "…you can go home…everything will be fine…I'll…send you a message when I'm home…"

While he was reluctant to leave her alone with Bakugou, he respected her wishes. He went his own way and they went theirs. Bakugou held onto her hand, but not as roughly this time. "Why was that idiot with you anyway?"

"…we're friends…he was…w-worried about me…"

"Whatever. Okay, we're here." He saw her lift her head and smirked when the girl's eyes widened. The pet store was a sure way to make her cheer up. He knew she loved cats so she was bound to love this place. "I need to get stuff for Slasher so you're gonna help me get supplies."

Shirayuki's pulse quickened as she began to smile. She could almost forget all of the terrible things that her former classmates had said in the café. Now she took the lead, guiding Bakugou to the cat section. She helped him pick out most of the supplies that he would need. "…you…named him Slasher…?"

He was looking at a selection of collars and scowled, a little embarrassed. "So what?! You think he should have some cutesy name or something?"

"…no…I actually…kind of like it…" Behind her mask, she smiled to herself. As scary as her classmate was, the fact that he had named the kitten and was willing to put forth so much effort to take care of it made her dislike him a little less. She remembered how gentle he had been with the kitten when he first met it and could only imagine how pampered that kitten was going to be.

Bakugou was still looking at collars when he saw her move away from his side. He turned, prepared to demand to know where she was going, when he spotted the adoptable cats on display. The boy saw her walk up to one of the cages and talk softly to the cat inside. He felt heat rush to his face and he looked away when she turned toward him again. "What're you doing? You have cats at home."

"…these ones…need extra love…" Shirayuki put a hand up to the bars and the cat booped their little pink nose against her fingertips. A giggle escaped her and she cooed to the cat, telling it that it was cute. Reassuring it that it would find a good home soon.

She was ready to go back to her house after the pet store, but the tight grip on her hand refused to let her. "…Bakugou-kun…?"

"You're coming with me to take these to my place and then I'll walk you home. That's what we're doing, got it?" He felt her tense up and scowled again. "I'll buy you food on the way there."

"…o-okay…?"

Nothing could have prepared Shirayuki for what awaited her. She suspected that he thought his parents were out because when they were greeted by his dad, the boy immediately looked confused and irritated. The greeting drew his mother out of another room and Shirayuki's eyes widened when the woman spoke.

"Katsuki, you little brat! You didn't say you had a girlfriend! What's her name?" His mother grinned down at her as she ruffled the boy's hair.

Shirayuki bowed, a blush rising to her cheeks. "…m-my name is Shirayuki Ume…it's nice to m-meet you, but…um…"

"Shut up, you old hag! We're going to my room! Move it!" His face was red as he pulled the girl along behind him before his mother could say anything else.

Her anxiety was high from meeting his parents and from the misunderstanding about their relationship, but it started to melt away when she saw his room. Strewn around the floor were small, improvised cat toys and a makeshift cat bed made of shirts. The little black kitten itself was curled up on his pillow and gave a mew of greeting when they arrived.

The boy was scowling as he closed his door, but when he saw her immediately go over to pet the kitten, he started to calm down. "So damn annoying."

"…it's…okay…um…your parents…seem nice…" It was a bit awkward. Shirayuki had spent years now without her own parents and, having never really had friends before, this was the first time she was introduced to someone's parents.

He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, watching her pet the kitten. It was rubbing its soft little face against her fingers, purring. The way that her eyes crinkled at the corners showed that the girl was smiling. Now was when he chose to make his move. He gripped her free hand and when she looked over, he felt his face getting hot, but he pushed past his nervousness. "Go out with me."