"Oh! Shinsou-kun, good evening!"
Hearing the friendly voice call to him from behind, he looked over his shoulder at the house and lifted a hand in greeting. After debating with himself, he had decided that he needed to see Shirayuki. He was determined that he would talk to her, let her know how he really felt. However, upon reaching her house, he found himself just loitering out in front of her gate as his courage failed him.
The old woman came out to the gate, smiling in that welcoming way she always greeted him. "Are you here to see Ume?"
"Is she busy?" he asked with hesitation. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking past the woman toward the house. Shinsou half-expected Shirayuki to come to the door, holding a cat and smiling shyly behind her mask. Unfortunately, there was no sign of movement at the door.
"I'm sorry, Shinsou-kun. She went out with some friends." She frowned and raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised though. It's not really like her to go off for so long. And she's usually with you, isn't she?"
The boy frowned and lowered his gaze to the sidewalk. "Yeah."
"Did you two have a disagreement? Ume seems kind of down lately."
A tightness began to form in his chest and Shinsou tensed. "No…" Although he sounded unsure. He felt unsure. Hearing that she had been acting upset made him feel guilty and he started to wonder if Shirayuki thought they were fighting.
"Did she say when she would be back?" He tried to keep his tone calm, but he felt his pulse quickening. The more he thought about it, the more distraught he became. All this time, he had separated himself from her so he could sort through his own feelings without considering hers.
The old woman shook her head and looked off down the sidewalk. "Didn't say. Do you want me to have her call you when she gets home?"
"Thank you." He bowed slightly in farewell and started walking down the sidewalk again. Shinsou dug in his pocket for his phone, frowning as he looked at his messages. There were over twenty messages from Shirayuki; all unopened as he had stopped checking his phone in his effort to distance himself.
As he read through her messages, he felt himself becoming more upset. She was clearly upset. Hurting. It was his fault. He clutched his phone tighter and his thumb hovered above the screen, hesitating to send her a message. A sick feeling settled in his stomach and he sighed, running his free hand through his wild indigo hair.
He had to do something. He had to make it up to her somehow. He had to reassure her that he was not mad at her. It was his fault. Shinsou looked over his shoulder, in the direction of her house, and saw her grandmother wave. He waved back casually and continued walking home. Promising himself that he would talk to Shirayuki the next day.
Shift P.O.V
It was getting late. The sun had mostly set and Shirayuki was starting to feel just a bit chilled from the evening air. Still, she forced herself to keep walking. There was no other option now.
The hand gripping hers, towing her down the pathway, felt warm and the grip was surprisingly gentle. The owner of this hand was walking ahead of her, navigating to a good place where no one would bother them. When he was finally satisfied that they had gone far enough, Bakugou smirked. "Okay, let me hear it!"
She had been walking with her head down and now cast a timid glance in his direction. The reason why she was here, why she had followed her loud and explosive classmate into a wooded area, was to release some stress. That was how he had worded it, anyway. It made her nervous, but she remembered how it felt the last time she trained with him. Thinking back on it, it had been terrifying, but it did give her a sense of strength and control.
"…I don't…want to do…what you say…" she mumbled.
"C'mon! Louder than that! You think anyone would respect you if you said it like that?!" he demanded. Bakugou was determined to push her. He wanted her to yell to release pent up anxiety. He knew that she was still upset and he wanted to be the one that could make her finally stop crying.
"I don't…want to do what you say," Shirayuki repeated. Her hands curled into fists now that he had let go. Her words were still muffled due to her mask, but she was not about to take it off. It was embarrassing enough to be yelling in the middle of a forested area without having her whole face exposed.
"Louder!"
"…I can't…"
The boy growled and stormed toward her. He reached out quickly, grabbing her mask and tearing it off. "C'mon! Doesn't that piss you off?! Defend yourself!"
"Don't touch my mask!" she blurted out. Both hands lifted and slammed against his shoulders, shoving him back so he stumbled a step away from her. Shirayuki's heart was racing as she blinked in alarm, the cool night air against her mouth and nose now that they were exposed.
Bakugou's smirk grew, despite the fact that she pushed him away. "Say it again! I want to hear you yell!"
"…ngh…" The girl's vision blurred with tears of frustration. I'm training to become a hero! I have to be strong! I have to show the world I can be fearless! Yelling is normal! Talking is normal! I can…do this! She took a deep breath, heat already rising to her cheeks.
"I DON'T HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU SAY! YOU CAN'T TREAT ME THAT WAY! YOU DON'T KNOW THE REAL ME! YOU CAN'T DISAPPEAR FOR YEARS AND COME BACK AND PRETEND THAT YOU'RE MY MOTHER! YOU'RE NOT A MOTHER! MOTHERS DON'T SCREAM AT THEIR KIDS! MOTHERS DON'T HURT THEIR KIDS AND TRY TO FORCE THEM TO MARRY THEIR CLASSMATES!"
Her voice was loud and almost seemed to echo through the forested area. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she panted and collapsed to her knees on the ground. Shirayuki wrapped her arms around herself, biting her lip to stop herself from blurting out more. There was so much that she wanted to scream at the sky, but she had embarrassed herself enough.
Bakugou stared down at her in a mix of extreme confusion and anger. He had looked almost content when she began shouting, but the more she said, the more perplexed he became. Especially when she said the last sentence. It was sinking in quickly and the boy scowled.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded in a snarl. "Ume! What the hell did your mom do?"
She bowed her head, her long dark violet hair falling around her face. "…m-my mother…" The girl felt her energy fading. Attempting to stand had her falling against the nearest tree trunk and she frowned. "…she…wanted me to…m-marry…she wanted me to marry…Todoroki-san, but…I told her "no" and she…um…she got angry…"
He saw her subconsciously lift a hand to her cheek. To the pale smudge that barely concealed the dark bruise that was there. Fury burned in his eyes as he came toward her again. He thrust a hand in her direction and gave her an expectant stare until she timidly put her hand in his.
The boy pulled her to stand and caught her when her knees buckled. "Damn it. Fine! Just get on!" Bakugou turned so his back was to her and crouched down. "C'mon! Don't make me wait!"
"…ah…you don't…have to…Bakugou-kun, I…I can walk…please…I just n-need some time…to calm down…"
"Get on, damn it! I'm carrying you whether you like it or not, Ume!"
It was beyond embarrassing to be carried piggyback. Shirayuki had not been carried that way since she was very young. Since before her father died. A tightness formed in her chest as he carried her down the path. He felt warm, despite the night chill. It was comforting and almost enough to help her forget how embarrassing her current position was.
When they reached her house, he let her down and grumpily told her that she had to be louder. She shyly nodded and tried to retrieve her mask from him, but Bakugou shoved it into his pocket before she could grasp it. "…I need…my mask…" she quietly argued.
"What? Is this one your favorite?" he taunted. Seeing her nod, he grinned wickedly. "Well it's mine now. Consider it payment for carrying you here."
Shirayuki was a little upset at the loss of her favorite mask. It went with almost any outfit and it was made of a particularly soft material. Turning toward her house, she decided to just be glad that he had let the evening end instead of drawing it out. As good as it felt to scream and release her frustration, there was only so much she could handle.
Her grandmother had gone to bed already and most of the cats were already dozing. She moved as quietly as she could to her room, closing the door behind her. Shirayuki changed into her pajamas and was about to go to bed when her eyes landed on the chocolate bar on her desk. More specifically on the folded note that lay on top of it.
She grabbed the piece of paper and sat on her bed to read it. The girl remembered how Kirishima had told her specifically to wait to read it at the end of the day. To be sure that she read the whole note.
As her eyes skimmed over the words, she felt a fluttery sort of sensation in her chest. This declaration of his feelings made her smile and she pressed a hand over her heart. It was such a simple little note, but the words were so impactful.
He had written: "Yuki. I've liked you since the first day of school. You're awesome and you're cute! I want to make you smile every day! But I know you like someone else. I just didn't want to keep my feelings a secret forever. I really like being your friend and if you need anything, I want you to ask me for help, okay?"
Kirishima-kun…he's so nice. All of my friends are so nice. I don't deserve to be friends with people this wonderful. Shoulders trembling with the effort to not cry from happiness, she slid her hand up from her heart to cover her mouth. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as bliss settled over her.
Shirayuki fell onto her back on her bed, grabbing her dragon stuffed animal and hugging it tightly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Everything that was going on right now was so stressful, so terrifying. Yet she felt hope that it would all clear up soon. With such wonderful friends cheering her on, it was hard to stay sad.
Kirishima-kun. I'll…make him some cookies, she decided with a smile. His words made her feel bubbly. Warm. Content. The smile could not be wiped from her face. Until she decided she would have to confront Shinsou.