NeonHorizon: A quick shout out to everyone that leaves reviews! Those really make my day! This chapter has a lot of Kirishima in it. Enjoy!
I…wish we could have gone together. To the place Kirishima mentioned. Shirayuki frowned behind her mask as she stepped out into the hallway after their last class. It seemed like everyone had plans. Even Bakugou. Kirishima had tried to keep a cheerful expression, but it was clear he was disappointed.
Walking by herself, she absently fidgeted with her hairband. Her head was down as she tried to think of some way she could cheer him up. Kirishima was great at cheering her up when she felt down and seeing him look so disappointed made her chest feel tight.
"Shirayuki."
"…ah…?" She looked back to find Todoroki emerging from the classroom. The girl bowed her head again, guilt sparking. I forgot. That was…rude of me. I forgot that he was coming over today. Bowing a little, she hoped he would accept her apology.
"I need to get something before we go. Do you want to go with me?"
"…get something…?" Shirayuki's crimson eyes widened and she shook her head. "…T-Todoroki-kun, you…don't need to bring anything…I…"
"It's polite to bring a gift," he stated firmly. "I need to thank you and your grandmother for taking care of Torako."
"…if…if you insist…" She saw him nod. Walking alongside him now, she kept her head down. "…um…where…are you going to go…?"
"A cake shop. Your grandmother said that she likes sweets." Todoroki looked over expectantly, waiting for her confirming nod. "This way you can help me pick one she'll like."
They continued onward; leaving the school together and walking down the street. A good amount of space between them. Neither of them talking for quite a while as they both seemed perfectly content with their own thoughts as company. It was only when they neared the train station that the silence was broken.
"Your mother keeps calling my house to speak to my father."
Shirayuki bowed lower than before. "…I-I'm sorry…I don't…I don't know why she's like this…I'm sorry…if she's causing trouble for you…"
He turned toward her, about to say more, but stopped as he saw an arm drop around her shoulders. "Kirishima?"
"Hey, I saw you two walking and I thought I'd tag along. You're going to Yuki's house, right? Do you mind if I come with?" The red-haired boy grinned, but there was still a certain amount of disappointment in his eyes as he said this.
"…ah…o-of course…um…if…Todoroki-kun…do you…mind if Kirishima…?"
"I won't stop you," the other boy replied. He gave Kirishima a neutral stare for a moment before turning to continue walking. "It makes sense for you to come with us."
What…does that mean? Because we're friends? Shirayuki felt the arm around her shoulders squeeze a bit in an awkward sort of side hug and warmth rose to her face. Bowing her head, her long dark violet hair fell around her face to hide the pinkish hue of her cheeks. Her chest felt tight, as it had before, but now the girl's heart was pounding.
It was difficult to keep her breathing normal. She was suddenly very self-conscious about every breath and every little movement. Keeping her eyes on the ground as she walked, she felt relieved that Kirishima still had his arm around her shoulders. He…feels so warm…this is nice. I really like this.
"You adopted the last kitten, right?" Kirishima asked as they boarded the train. "That's so cool! I wish I could've taken one, but my place doesn't allow pets."
"I have to keep Torako at Shirayuki's house," Todoroki explained.
The three students managed to find a row of three seats together. Todoroki took the one on the left, Kirishima sat in the middle, and Shirayuki was on the right. The red-haired boy moved his arm from around her shoulders, but casually took her left hand in his right hand as he continued talking.
"You named it Torako? Oh! The girl one with stripes, right?" He saw Todoroki nod and his grin grew. "Yeah, that one's really cool! I like the markings on her!"
Todoroki leaned forward in his seat to peer around Kirishima at Shirayuki. "I want to show her to my mother, but I would need help. Are you busy on Sunday?"
"…Sunday…um…I-I don't…know yet…" she confessed.
He shifted his gaze to Kirishima and tilted his head slightly. "You don't have plans on Sunday, do you?"
"What? Me? No. I'm free on Sunday." Kirishima gave Shirayuki's hand a light squeeze, his grin turning into a puzzled frown.
His heterochromatic eyes went back to Shirayuki now. "Can you meet me at the station near your house around nine o'clock on Sunday? And bring Torako in a bag or a carrier."
"Hang on a second. Me or Yuki? You just asked if I was free."
Todoroki gave the two a deadpan sort of stare. "I thought that if you're free, Shirayuki is, too. You're together so-"
The girl saw Kirishima's face turn an almost glowing shade of red and it momentarily distracted her from the heat rising to her own face. Her heart began thumping loudly in her chest, her pulse so loud in her ears that it drowned out the boy's protests. Shirayuki's eyes lowered to where he was still holding her hand and soon found his fingers lacing with hers. His thumb rubbing gently at the back of her hand as he turned to look at her and seemed to sense her unease.
Kirishima leaned forward a little, trying to look up at her through the dark violet hair hanging over her face. "Hey, Yuki? You okay?"
"…I…I'm okay…" she mumbled from behind her mask.
"Look, I told him we're not dating. I mean…not that I don't like you. Er…ugh! Okay, I really like you, but you know I'm not going to pressure you into anything. That sounded wrong. Why can't I say this right?!"
Todoroki looked almost vaguely amused as the red-haired boy became a flustered mess. Shirayuki's hand was released and Kirishima ran both hands through his hair as he tried to calm himself enough to speak again. Is he…alright? Am I alright? My heart…is beating so fast that it hurts. Why? He…looks cute…like this. Do I…like…Kirishima?
He took a deep breath and released it in a sigh. "Okay! I've got it now! Yuki!" Kirishima turned to look at her and gently grabbed her shoulders. "I really, really like you! Do you want to be best friends?!"
Her rapid pulse seemed to skip as she stared back at her blushing friend. It felt like all of the blood in her body was collecting in her face at this moment and she froze in place. Crimson eyes wide, staring at Kirishima's hopeful expression. "…best…friends…?"
"I'm glad I can be a part of this."
The other two looked over at Todoroki briefly. He was sitting there, awkwardly, just watching this moment unfold with a neutral expression on his face. Shirayuki looked back to Kirishima and bit the inside of her cheek, hidden behind her mask. She gave a small nod and it felt like butterflies exploded in her chest when he hugged her.
"Awesome! You're not gonna regret this, Yuki! I promise! I'll be the greatest best friend you've ever had!"
"…I've never…had a best friend before…" she quiet confessed.
It was true. Throughout elementary school and middle school, Shirayuki had no friends. She kept to herself and tried to avoid being bullied for how wide her mouth was. The first friend she made was Shinsou and then Kirishima and the others. Of course, she had seen people who claimed to be best friends and she had envied how happy they looked together.
Todoroki gave a single nod of understanding. They were both kind of withdrawn and quiet. It would be unsurprising if he was like her in that he had never had friends before high school.
Shift P.O.V
Kirishima leaned back after hearing Shirayuki's words, his eyes wide for a second. "I'll be an extra awesome best friend then!" He tried to give her a reassuring smile and saw her eyes crinkle at the corners to indicate she was smiling behind her mask.
He was excited by this development in their friendship, but at the same time he was disappointed in himself. As the train pulled into Shirayuki's stop, he kept a gentle hold on her hand and felt his own heart racing. What he had wanted to ask was if she would go out with him.
Of course, he was still trying to respect her space. She and her boyfriend had only broken up a little while ago. It felt scummy to even imagine trying to pick her up right after that. She needed time for herself.
Besides, just holding hands and talking to her about life was enough to make him feel happy. "I still can't believe a truck tried to speed through that shopping district during your internship! That's crazy!" he spoke up, remembering the event she had described during their meetup the previous day.
"A speeding truck?" Todoroki entered the conversation again.
"Yeah! Yuki used her quirk to stop a truck that was speeding into a shopping area! I bet you looked really cool, Yuki!" He grinned and saw her blush before shyly looking away. His pulse skipped a beat, a pleasant warmth settling over him.
She's so cute! Ugh! Why couldn't I just say what I wanted to say?! It's been almost three weeks! That's enough time, right? But what if it isn't? What if she thinks I'm a creep for bringing up something like that?! This is so unmanly!
"…I…um…I couldn't…keep myself stable, though…and my senpai had to anchor me…" she softly protested.
"Your senpai? There was an upperclassman working with you?" Todoroki looked at the girl with mild curiosity.
"…yes…ah…he…was actually the reason why I was…offered the internship…because he set up a meeting with Fat Gum…and…Fat Gum knew my father…they were…friends…a-anyway…my senpai had to hold onto me…so my legs wouldn't break from the pressure or…so I wouldn't be blown away by my blast…"
It painted an odd, but kind of funny, image in Kirishima's head. He was picturing her flapping in the air like a flag while her faceless upperclassman held her arm. "Still sounds pretty cool!" he argued. "I didn't even get to do much at my internship. Tetsutetsu and I just kinda ran errands for Fourth Kind."
The upperclassman was a guy? Oh, right! That guy I saw at her house on Saturday! I didn't get a good look at his face, but he had those pointy ears. He seems like a good guy, though, if he did so much for Yuki. I wish I could do more to help her out.
Kirishima shook his head and sighed. That isn't right! I shouldn't compare myself to some guy I don't even know! We're best friends now and that's what matters! I'm gonna do whatever I can to help Yuki! And a good start would be carrying around her favorite candy in case she has a low blood sugar fit!
"Hey, Yuki," he started, turning to his right. She was gone. He looked down to his hand and realized that, in his moment of frustration, he had released her hand and put his hands in his pockets. "Yuki?! Yuki!"
"We're over here," Todoroki stated bluntly from the left.
The red-haired boy hurried over to where Shirayuki was staring in at a cake shop's display through a window. Seeing the girl's crimson eyes wide, glimmering with amazement, he had to smile. "You want to go in? I have enough for-"
"I'm getting cake slices as a gift for her and her grandmother." The other boy said this without any trace of spite and nodded toward the door. "Shirayuki, we should hurry before it becomes crowded."
"…ah…r-right…" She followed him, but timidly paused to reach out a hand to Kirishima. "…um…I…don't need much…since I had a big meal earlier so…K-Kirishima…if you want to share a cake slice…"
He took her hand and felt himself faintly starting to blush. A grin slowly overtook his face as he regained his confidence. "That sounds perfect! What kind do you want? They've got a ton of chocolate ones! You like salted caramel, though, right? You think they have one with that?"
"This one." Todoroki pointed to a slice of strawberry shortcake while making intense eye contact with the young woman working behind the counter. When it was set in the cake box, he looked at the display again. "This one, too." A plain slice of white cake with vanilla bean frosting. He turned toward his two classmates and looked down to where they were holding hands before shifting his gaze to Shirayuki. "What kind do you want?"
"…I want…um…" She skimmed the display to her left, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "…does…this one look good to you…Kirishima…?"
He leaned down and stared at the slice she was pointing at. A slice of layered chocolate cake with salted caramel and crunchy pieces of cookie between the layers and chocolate frosting on top. That's so Yuki to pick something this cool-looking! Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he nodded. "This looks perfect!"