NeonHorizon: I want to give a special shout out to a special happy reader that goes by Yukio-Yui-chan on DeviantArt. She made some super cute pictures of Shirayuki ^_^
"You've been on edge all day, Yuki-chan. What's up?" Ashido stood beside Shirayuki's desk, head tilted and mouth turned down into a concerned frown.
"She was kind of out of it yesterday," Kaminari pointed out as he joined them. "Are you getting sick? It'd be bad to get sick right before the sports festival."
Shirayuki was packing up her belongings and glanced over, nervously chewing at her lower lip when she looked at her friends. "…I just…have something tonight…I have to do…I'm nervous because…I don't want to do it, but…"
"You want to skip out on it?" Her red-haired friend tilted his head, coming to stand beside her when she stepped away from her desk. Kirishima walked alongside her when the four of them started moving down the hallway to go home.
"…I don't think I can skip this…" she admitted, bowing her head.
Kirishima leaned down a bit so he could look into her eyes and he saw her nervously glance away. "Is it Bakugou?"
"N-no!" She jolted back after he asked this, her face flushing red as she was reminded of the incident from two days ago. When she had shouted at Bakugou and it actually seemed to make him happy. The girl had managed to avoid being alone with him since then; making up excuses and having her grandmother turn him away the previous afternoon when he turned up at their front door.
The boy blinked in surprise, heat rising to his cheeks. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked away. "S-so what's up, Yuki-chan?"
"…my…mother…is coming to the sports festival…" she mumbled, fidgeting with the handle of her bag. "…she…isn't really…"
Ashido exchanged a look with the other two and moved closer to Shirayuki's side. "Hey, it's okay! You know what? If you need backup, we'll be there for you! It's what friends do, Yuki-chan!"
"Yeah! And if she does something to make you upset, we'll cheer you up," Kaminari agreed, smiling over at her.
"Why don't we all hang out after the sports festival?" Kirishima suggested.
"That's a great idea! That's exactly what we need! Okay; I'll start coming up with a few ideas and I'll pitch them to you guys tomorrow!"
Shirayuki parted from her friends, feeling just a little better. The thought of spending time with them after the sports festival did cheer her up. She greeted Shinsou with a small nod and walked with him to catch their train to their neighborhood.
Sitting beside the indigo-haired boy, she found herself anxiously chewing her lip again. She wanted to avoid seeing her mother altogether, but it would be rude to refuse to see her. Maybe…she wants to apologize? But it's been years. I haven't seen her in so long. The last time she had seen her mother was when she was nine. Her mother brought her to her grandmother's house, along with all of the girl's clothes and her father's belongings. Shirayuki's last memory of actually seeing her mother involved the woman walking away as the girl cried and her grandmother tried to console her.
Thinking about it made her stomach twist with anxiety. By the time they got off at their stop, Shirayuki was fighting back nausea. Sweat stuck her bangs to her forehead and she began to struggle to breath. Usually when she fidgeted with her hairband, it was enough. Today, it did nothing to soothe her nerves.
Shinsou looked over to see her nervously snapping the hairband against her wrist, staring straight ahead almost as if she was in a trance. "Are you going to be okay?" He saw her jump and then bow her head so that her hair hid her face. She was not fast enough; he still saw that her face was now paper white and she was visibly distressed.
Warm fingers wrapped around her wrist and gently pried her hand away from her hairband. Shirayuki looked to the boy, peering at him through her dark bangs as she tried to calm herself down. It isn't fair to Shinsou. I was doing so well and now…all it takes is…the thought of…seeing her…
The boy frowned and ran his free hand through his hair. "Do I need to kidnap you?"
"…wh…what…?" Her pulse quickened and the girl's crimson eyes widened in alarm. "…k…kid…kidnap…?"
"No. Sorry; that came out wrong. I mean, do you want to come over to my place and you can just tell her that something came up?" Shinsou had a faint warm hue to his cheeks as he explained this.
It was a tempting offer, but before Shirayuki could even start to think of how her mother would react, she found her mind going elsewhere. She had not been to his home since they began dating. It was one thing to go there before. Technically, they were not officially friends back then. If she went there now, it would feel much different.
"…I shouldn't run…" she murmured, chewing at her lower lip behind her mask. "…if I…can't even face my mother…then…how can I ever be a hero…?"
Shinsou tilted his head, thinking about very different it was to face a parent versus facing a villain, but decided not to say anything about that. He had never even met her mother so, for all he knew, the woman could be a villain. All Shirayuki's grandmother had ever said was that the woman was unkind to Shirayuki and she worked overseas.
"Are you sure?"
"…I'm…sure…"
When they parted ways, the girl felt a heaviness settle in her heart to accompany the nausea. She walked with her head down, afraid of seeing her mother. Afraid of how she would react. Shirayuki was unsure of how she might react to finally seeing her mother again. If her anxiety was any indication, she may just cry.
Turning the corner to where her house was, the girl caught sight of a small black car parked in front of the home. Fear clawed at her chest, a tightness forming in her throat. She took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm down again. The closer she got to the house, the faster her heart raced. It was almost painful when she was just a few houses away.
"Shirayuki."
She jolted and turned swiftly, nearly falling. A hand darted out, grabbing her arm to steady her, and she winced at the tight grip. "…s-sorry…I…um…"
The blue and brown eyes that looked down at her took in the girl's fear and her classmate frowned. "I scared you. I'm sorry."
"…n-no, I'm…I'm sorry for…reacting that way…" Shirayuki looked to where he was still gripping her arm, hoping that he would let go. "…Todoroki-kun…why are you…wh-what brings you…to my neighborhood…?"
"I wanted to see my cat again. Is this a bad time?"
Before she could answer, the passenger side door of the car opened and slammed shut. The woman standing beside the car regarded the two teenagers with sharp eyes the same shade of crimson as Shirayuki's. She was different from how Shirayuki remembered her, but there was no mistaking it. This was her mother.
Shirayuki Hikari was a rather slender woman and moved with a predator's grace. Pairing this with her sharp cheekbones and narrow face, she looked rather intimidating. Back when Shirayuki's father was alive, the woman had been much softer. She had worn shirts that always matched his and usually left her hair loose. Now she wore her long, pale blonde hair pulled back from her face. It was straight, neatly brushed. She was wearing a light blue blazer, white blouse, and black pencil skirt on this day.
Black heels clicked on the pavement as she started toward the two students, her violet-painted lips set in a straight line. Hikari paused a few feet away from the two, arms crossed as her gaze strayed from her daughter to the boy beside her. "Hello there." Her voice was flat, her tone cold and impersonal.
"…h-hello…Mother…" Shirayuki had her head down, unable to even meet her mother's eyes. She had begun to tremble and was now actually glad for Todoroki's grip on her arm. It felt somehow reassuring in this moment of intense fear. She had worried how she might feel about seeing the woman again, but now she knew. It was all coming back. Shirayuki remembered Hikari's cold, emotionless face staring down at her. Demanding to know why she cried as she held her wounded abdomen. Insisting that her pain was nothing compared to losing her father.
"I was unaware that you had made friends. Your grandmother told me that you struggled with it in middle school. Now look at you; all grown up with your own love." Hikari's voice softened when she spoke the final sentence, her gaze softening as well. The coldness was still there, but now there was a strange fondness blending with it.
The girl's eyes lifted to meet her mother's, alarmed by what she had just insinuated. "…no…I…"
"And if I'm not mistaken…" Hikari walked around the two, the faintest of smiles tugging at her violet-painted lips. "Aren't you Todoroki's boy? My goodness." She put a hand over her mouth, eyes narrowing sheepishly. "Umetarou certainly would have gotten a kick out of this."
"We're not dating," Todoroki bluntly pointed out. He released Shirayuki's arm and stepped away, meeting the woman's critical gaze with a cold one of his own.
"Hm. We'll see. It would certainly be good for my little Ume, wouldn't it?" She turned away, stalking toward the house. "Ume, come along. I haven't eaten yet today. Oh, but, of course." Looking over her shoulder, she smirked. "Your friend there. How about we bring him along with us? I'm sure your father would approve, young man."
Shirayuki felt a chill run down her spine when her mother spoke. She bowed her head again and started to fidget with her hairband again. "…T-Todoroki-kun…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…about my mother…you don't have to…please…"
"I don't. But I will." The boy's mouth set in a firm line and he reached over, grabbing her hand. "Let's go."
Why? Why would you want to go? She's not nice. Todoroki-kun. She let him lead her, but her nausea was getting worse now. She could not understand why he would want anything to do with this situation. He had the option of leaving. After all, Hikari was a stranger to him. He was in no way obligated to go to this dinner.
"I'm not making you go alone." The words were so quiet that Shirayuki almost thought that she had imagined him speaking until he looked over at her. "You're doing me a favor by taking care of my cat. I can at least do this for you."
What? The boy's normally stoic expression briefly took on a melancholy that made her chest feel tight. Does he…know what this is like? I've heard rumors about Endeavor. That he's not a nice person. Like how my mother is.