Shirayuki had forgotten how frightening it was to go home alone. She and Shinsou had been going to and from school together for quite a while so it was unsettling to be by herself. The walk to the station was spent with her head down, trying not to look up. It was difficult to put into words, but she felt vulnerable without Shinsou walking next to her. As if every person walking past her was staring, as if something might happen at any moment.
Shaking her head, she pulled her phone out of her bag and typed out a message to Ashido. I just…need a distraction…right? If I don't think about it…but a hero needs to be able to face things. Why can't I just be strong enough to lift my head?
Her eyes began to burn, her throat hurting and tightening. Shirayuki lifted a hand to try to stop the tears before they could fall. How can I be a hero…if I can't even handle being alone…? She heard her phone jingle with a response from Ashido and she looked at the screen.
The pink-haired girl was saying how excited she was for the summer training camp and how anxious she was about the upcoming tests. Blinking away more tears, Shirayuki was glad for this distraction. She confessed that she was a little nervous about the tests, too. Even more so about the summer camp.
Shirayuki had never slept over at a friend's house when she was younger since she never really had friends before. The summer training camp would be the first time she was away from home overnight. She felt embarrassment heating her face as she admitted this to Ashido. Seconds later, her phone rang with an actual call from her friend.
"Yuki, we should have a study sleepover! I'm not super confident about the exam and you're nervous about being away from home, right? This is perfect! This way we can help each other out! What do you think?"
"…a…sleepover…?" She fidgeted with her bag and turned the corner toward the station. "…um…I-I guess…ah…that sounds fun…I just…I've never…"
"No pressure, okay? Want to do it Saturday night? All you need to worry about is bringing your textbooks, notes, and some comfy pajamas. I'll get snacks and pick up some movies to watch after we study. It'll be great!"
"…just…just us…?" Her stomach was twisting in anxious, excited knots. On one hand, the idea of doing something like this made her happy. Sleepovers were a normal thing that friends did and this would be her first. On the other hand, she wondered if Ashido planned to invite the rest of their group. It would be easier for Shirayuki to handle this if it was just one on one since large groups still made her kind of nervous.
For the whole train ride to her station, Shirayuki quietly spoke with Ashido. Talking, or even just listening, seemed to help her keep her mind off of the chaos around her. Though she did feel a little bad for taking up so much of her time. As she neared her house, she thanked Ashido for talking to her for so long.
"What're you apologizing for? We're friends, right? It's what friends do!"
Shirayuki's heart felt like it might burst and happy tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "…you don't know…how much that means to me…"
At home, she found a note on the counter from her grandmother. The old woman had gone to visit Shirayuki's cousin and bring her some food to thank her. The girl frowned as she lowered her mask. She set about filling all seven bowls for the cats and setting them up around the kitchen, greeting each cat like a sibling.
Grandma…won't be gone for very long, will she? Where does Sayuri-chan live? The idea of being home alone after dark filled her with anxiety. She knew that bad things were more likely to happen when someone was home alone; a break in, a house fire, or even a power outage.
Trying not to think about the worst possible scenarios, she changed out her uniform for a pair of long black shorts and a red t-shirt with a white heart on the chest. Shirayuki sat on the couch in the sitting room with a book, trying to get her mind off of all of the terrible things that could happen.
She had read a few pages before there was a knock on the front door. The sound made her jolt and she dropped her book onto the floor. Trembling, Shirayuki looked toward the front of the house. She sank to the floor and tried to keep out of sight of the windows. Who…is it? Bakugou-kun…said he would pick me up, but…he doesn't knock on the door…he uses the bell…or the window…
Her phone started to ring a little after the knock. "…h-hello…?" she greeted, without checking the screen first.
"Yuki! Hey, are you home? I'm at the door, but…" Kirishima sounded cheerful, but kind of embarrassed.
"…K-Kirishima…?" The girl pushed herself to stand and went to the front door. A look through the peephole showed her red-haired friend grinning on the other side. Opening the door revealed their ash blond classmate standing on the sidewalk, on the other side of the gate, glaring in and gripping the bars.
She pulled her mask up, securing it in place over her mouth and nose. "…um…I wasn't…expecting you, Kirishima…ah…"
"Well, I overheard you guys talking about going shopping and I wanted to tag along. I don't have anything going on tonight-"
"I told you not to act so friendly with Ume! You're pissing me off!" Bakugou gave the bars a shake and glared at the other two teenagers. "Are you gonna open this gate or not?!"
"…j-just a second…" Shirayuki put on some shoes and grabbed her bag. She locked the front door behind her, very aware of the boy's piercing glare. As she turned to go unlock the gate, the girl felt a warm hand gently grab her left hand. Behind her mask, she felt heat blooming in her cheeks. Her pulse felt like it skipped and she lowered her gaze to the ground.
"Just chill, okay? We're coming." Kirishima's eyebrows furrowed when he saw how angry Bakugou was getting. "You know, you could've just climbed the gate like I did."
"Shut up! What's the point of doing that much work when we're going somewhere else? And why the hell do you have to come with us?! This is supposed to be a date!"
"Huh? Oh! Don't worry about me! I'm just tagging along for fun! We're all friends, right?" The red-haired boy have Shirayuki's hand a small squeeze before he released it.
Setting off down the sidewalk, the girl held the strap of her bag with both hands and kept her eyes lowered. Walking next to her was Bakugou, who was still irritated with their third wheel. Behind them was Kirishima, who was still trying to have a good time. "…um…Bakugou-kun, what…do you need to get…?" she finally spoke up, hoping to redirect his focus.
The boy smirked and reached over, grabbing her hand tightly and lacing their fingers. "Slasher needs some new stuff. He outgrew the bed I got him last time and his hair's getting longer so I need a different brush. I wanna get him a new collar, too."
"Oh! You're shopping for Slasher? You have to get him something manly! Get him a blue collar!" Kirishima chimed in.
"No way, shitty hair! He's getting a black collar!"
"Isn't his hair black? It's going to blend in and no one will even see it."
"So what?! He's my cat! Why should I let you decide what I'm getting my cat?" He scowled and turned his gaze to Shirayuki, red meeting red briefly before she looked away. "Ume. What do you think?"
"…ah…w-well…I do kind of like…the style Slasher has now…but K-Kirishima has a good point…about blue standing out more…it would be easier for people to see…if Slasher gets outside again…"
Bakugou was silent for a long moment and finally released a growl of frustration. "Fine! I'm getting him a red collar! How's that for "manly"?!"
Behind him, Kirishima blinked and then grinned. "Yeah! That sounds awesome! He's going to look so cool!"
"…I…I like red, too…" Shirayuki timidly agreed. Her eyes lifted from the ground and roamed over to where Bakugou was holding her hand. His hand felt warmer than Kirishima's had and when she focused on that warmth, her pulse started to get erratic. She began to feel self-conscious so she looked forward.
Why…do I feel like this? I feel like…I'm being stared at…but I know I'm not. I keep thinking about walking and I…feel like I'm stumbling now. Why is that? I feel…awkward. She saw him look at her again, from the edge of her vision, and she lowered her head a little.
At the pet store, the girl was immediately drawn to the adoptable cats and spent a good amount of time with them. Offering her hand for them to sniff, quietly reassuring the cats that they would soon find their forever homes. It made her heart hurt to see so many cats needing homes, but she knew that they would find families eventually.
"Awww. I wish I could get a cat." The voice came from beside her as she rubbed beneath an orange tabby cat's chin. The girl was kneeling down so she had not noticed her friend's approach, but now Kirishima was standing next to her. When he saw her look up, he rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head to the side. "I mean, you guys make it look fun."
Kirishima crouched next to her and reached out a hand toward a smoky grey cat. The feline approached the front of their cage and booped their nose against his fingertip in greeting. The almost worried look he had been wearing was replaced by a smile as he let the cat rub its cheek against his hand. "I get why you like them, Yuki. They're pretty awesome."
She looked at her friend, still remembering the frown he had when she first saw him beside her. A tightening began in her chest, her stomach starting to twist in knots. "…if…if you want to…we have six cats that…technically don't have owners…and I'm sure that one of them…might be a good fit…"
"I'd really like to adopt one, but we can't have pets at my place."
"…Todoroki-kun…he adopted the last kitten, but…he can't have her at his house so she lives with us…and he visits her…s-so if you want to…um…" Her eyes widened as a warm hand planted on her shoulder and her friend grinned.
"Yuki, that'd be so cool! Alright! How about I come over after school tomorrow and you can help me pick one?"
She felt like her heart did a flip in her chest. The sight of his grin made her smile shyly behind her mask and she let her hair fall over her eyes. "…you're…really okay with it…?"
"Of course! This is perfect! I'll have a cat, too, and this means we get to hang out more, right? I mean, if you're okay with it. So I can visit the cat and hang out with you." A faint pink tint rose to his face as he said this, but he continued to grin. "I should probably get them something cool, right? Like a gift. I'll be back; I'm going to go find something!"
Shirayuki finished spending time with the adoptable cats just as he returned and they started to walk toward the cat supplies as he showed her the cat bed he had picked out. It was a cave type bed that was shaped like a shark with its mouth open wide; made so the cat was supposed to sleep in the mouth part. "…it's…this is really cute…" she assured him.
"Right? I saw it and I thought it would be pretty cool-!"
"Hey! Ume, this one or this one?" Bakugou's voice cut through the rest of Kirishima's sentence. He stormed over to the two, glaring, holding up two different cat collars. One was a black collar with a red bell and flames printed along the side of the collar. The other was a crimson collar with black metal studs and a black bell. "Which one?!" he demanded, losing his patience.
"…ah…I-I like…the red one…"
The blond smirked and tossed the other collar onto a shelf to his side. "Of course you would! I knew you'd like this one better! You've got decent taste. C'mon. I need help picking out a brush now." His free hand moved to grab hers and he led her down an aisle, away from her friend.
"…h-how long is Slasher's hair…?" she asked, trying to determine what brush would be best. She lifted her eyes to his and they widened as he leaned down.
A finger slipped beneath the edge of her mask and slid it down to expose the bottom half of her face. His mouth met hers in a quick kiss before he pulled away with a smirk. Instantly, heat bloomed in the girl's face until her cheeks were almost as red as her eyes.
There was a squirming, excited sort of feeling in her stomach for an instant before she took a step back. "…I…um…I didn't…realize…"
"What're you saying, Ume? Just say it! C'mon! I wanna hear you yell at me!"
Her hands balled into fists and she shook her head. "…I…I can't…"
"What? You want me to really give you something to blush about, you nerd?"
"…n-no, I just…I'm n-nervous and…"
"What's that? I can't hear you when you keep mumbling!"
Tears of anger started to take form and her emotions took control for a moment. "Stop trying to embarrass me!" The words came out in a half-shout.
Bakugou's smirk grew. "That's more like it! Do it again! What else?! Give me all you've got, Ume! I wanna hear you yell!"