Tomorrow night…is the sleepover. Do I need to bring something? Do I bring a gift for a sleepover? Should I make cookies or bring snacks? I put together my notes from all of our classes and I…tried to simplify them by main points, but…can I really help Ashido-chan study?
Shirayuki kept her head bowed as she pulled her phone from her pocket and began to type a message to Ashido. It had been a few days since the pink-haired girl pitched the idea to her and they only discussed it over the phone or through email. Mostly to make sure that none of their other friends decided to invite themselves to the sleepover.
Just the thought of one of the boys being there made Shirayuki's stomach twist in anxious knots. All of her pajamas were kind of embarrassing to wear in front of someone else. Like all of her clothes, her grandmother had bought them for her intending for them to be stylish. She was sure that none of her classmates wore pajamas with cats or skulls on them, though.
For the past few days, she had taken the train home alone and walked to her house by herself. Of course, she was in contact with Ashido for most of the commute because it made her feel a little bit safer. Even if it was still pretty embarrassing. So much so that she had yet to tell Shinsou about it.
I hope that he's alright. He…always seems busy after school, but he won't say why. I saw him walking with Aizawa-sensei after class yesterday. Is it actually tutoring? Or…maybe he's taking extra courses…to try to get caught up to join the hero course?
Behind her mask, she smiled. If he did get into the hero course, they would have that much more in common. It was one more thing that they could share and she might be able to help him. Though she would never be able to repay him for how much he had helped her since the school year began. He was the catalyst that had pushed her to make friends with her classmates.
Right…I need to hurry home. If I wait too long, I'll miss this train and have to wait for the next one. The second one is…so busy. She winced, remembering how packed it had been yesterday when she was running late.
Shirayuki's pace quickened and she carefully made her way past slower moving students on the sidewalk. A few minutes later, she became aware of a piercing glare burning into her back. The girl chanced a glance over her shoulder and briefly met the narrowed red eyes of a classmate in the distance.
Bakugou's pace picked up when he knew she saw him, sliding around upperclassmen and making his way toward Shirayuki. He finally caught up to her at the station and grimaced. "What the hell was that about? You saw me!"
"…I…I'm sorry, but I…had to hurry so I wouldn't miss the first train…" she tried to explain to him. Shirayuki got on and found the ash blond boy following closely. "…ah…wh-what…?"
His hand closed around her wrist and he led her through the increasingly crowded train to a pair of seats. Bakugou nudged her into the seat next to the window and he took the one near the aisle, keeping her from being bumped by people walking past. Once they were both sitting down, his hold slipped from her wrist and his hand gripped hers, lacing their fingers.
"How long have you been walking home by yourself?" he grumbled, glancing toward the girl as she finished a message to Ashido.
"…um…th-this is the…third day…I think…?" Shirayuki bowed her head, letting her dark violet hair fall around her face. "…maybe…fourth, but…this was going to be…the third in a row…"
He leaned back in his seat, making himself comfortable. The boy's expression changed from unbridled irritation to something hard to identify. A cross between smugness and satisfaction. "I guess I'll have to walk you home, then."
"…ah…n-no, that's…it's okay…I don't…I don't want to make you…go out of your way…I can…get home on my own…" she tried to reassure him.
Bakugou frowned and squeezed her hand slightly. "I want to walk you home, got it? You should've said something sooner. I would've walked you home yesterday and the day before that if I knew you were walking by yourself."
Why does he…sound kind of…worried? Lifting her head, Shirayuki could see it in his face, too. She was so used to seeing him scowl and glare that seeing this concerned expression was a little startling. At the same time, she could feel her pulse speeding up.
Her fingers twitched between his and she turned her head so she was looking out the window at the scenery speeding past. "…th-thank you…Bakugou…" His reflection in the window showed that his cheeks had a faintly pink tint to them as he glanced over at her.
Shirayuki expected that he would walk her to her house and then leave for his own house, but was surprised to find him still holding her hand and leading the way up to the door. She quietly called a greeting to her grandmother and mentioned that she had a visitor with her.
The old woman emerged from the sitting room to greet them, expecting Shinsou or Todoroki. When she spotted Bakugou, it was clear that she was a little concerned, but she was much too nice to let it show for more than a second. "Oh, Ume! Is your friend going to stay for dinner? I'm making plenty of food, if he wants to eat with us."
Bakugou was already taking off his shoes. Without even looking up, he mumbled, "I'm her boyfriend." He failed to see the expression the woman made.
The girl was able to see her grandmother's eyebrows raise. "…um…a-are you…staying for dinner…?"
"Yeah. Hang on, I'm gonna call my house and tell someone."
Her grandmother gently guided Shirayuki toward the kitchen and held her granddaughter by the shoulders. "Ume. Are you and that boy-?"
"…I…I've tried telling him…that we're not…d-dating, but…he never listens…um…I don't…think he's serious…h-he likes to…tease people so…um…"
"That boy didn't look like he was joking."
"…Grandma…I'll…tell him when he leaves…again…" she assured her.
"Well, alright. As long as you make your feelings known, Ume. Don't let anyone pressure you into anything. If you don't want to date that boy, it's perfectly fine. Life's too short to let other people make decisions for you."
Dinner would still take a little while to finish cooking so Shirayuki went to feed the cats in the sitting room. Bakugou sat on the couch, watching her fill all seven bowls of food with some dry kibble. The swarm of felines that came sprinting into the room was what one might describe as nightmarish. He jumped a little when the hoard came through the doorway and then looked annoyed at himself for it.
"Which one did Kirishima pick?"
"…oh…um…this one…" She knelt on the floor next to a sleek, silver cat with spots on its sides. The cat was happily devouring the food in her bowl and gave a small chirp when she realized that the two teenagers were paying attention to her.
"What's its name?" Bakugou leaned forward and rubbed his fingers together, trying to get the cat to go over to him. When the silver cat ignored him, he scowled and started making the "pst" noise that sometimes worked to beckon cats.
"…her name is Eileen…"
The boy's head shot in her direction and he raised an eyebrow. "Why does she have an English name?"
"…she's…from an animal shelter that had too many cats…she came from someone that…was studying abroad…and they met someone in Tokyo…and they were expecting a baby so…they left her at the shelter…" Shirayuki frowned behind her mask and lowered her head. The story always bothered her, every time she had to tell it. Like her father, she was very passionate about cats. It broke her heart that someone would just abandon theirs.
"That's stupid." He moved off of the couch and sat next to her, pulling the cat onto his lap to pet it. The cat growled at first, but then started rubbing her smooth silver cheek against his hand and purring.
Seeing her classmate interact with the cat reminded her of how concerned he had seemed earlier when he insisted on walking her home. Shirayuki's heart skipped a beat and she felt warmth rising to her face. Bowing her head, she fidgeted with the hairband on her wrist. "…I…try to look at it this way, though…um…if they were having a baby…Eileen-chan…wouldn't get as much attention…and they might not have enough money to take care of her so…it might have…been for the best…"
Bakugou lifted his eyes from the cat, focusing on Shirayuki and seeing the blush on her face. He smirked and let the cat down from his lap. "What're you blushing about, Ume?" She shook her head, the lower half of her face still hidden behind her mask. "Your face is turning red."
"…I just…ah…" The girl's hands curled into fists and she forced herself to lift her head. I have to be brave! I have to just…say how I feel! A hero wouldn't hold back! She lifted a trembling hand and drew her mask down so it hung loose around her neck.
Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. "I…like it when you're nice, Bakugou. It…makes my h-heart beat faster…when you're nice to me or…when you're nice to a cat." The confession turned her face a vibrant, hot shade of red that made her face feel like it was glowing. She had kept her voice quiet, but loud enough to make her feelings heard.
"What's that supposed to mean? Aren't I always nice to you?!"
Shirayuki opened her eyes and saw him lifting a hand to try to hide the pink tint appearing on his face. "…I-I'm…sorry…"
For a moment, they were both quiet as he seemed to force himself to stop blushing and Shirayuki silently worried that she might have offended him. She bowed her head again, toying with her hairband and trying to think of how she could properly apologize to him.
When he finally looked at her again, he was smirking. "What was that about your heart beating faster around me?"
"…I…I don't know…I'm sorry…I d-didn't mean to…say you're usually m-mean, but…um…" She felt a hand close around her wrist and she was abruptly pulled forward. The girl's stomach felt like it was doing flips as she felt the boy's lips crash against hers. Why…do I feel so…warm? I feel like…there are butterflies in my stomach. He's usually so scary so why…?
The contact between them broke seconds before her grandmother appeared in the doorway to tell them that dinner was ready. Both teenagers were still blushing; one with just a faint pink tint and the other blushing bright red. Shirayuki hardly ate due to the growing feeling of nervousness, but Bakugou ate all of the food that her grandmother gave him.
Throughout the meal, he made a point of telling her grandmother that the food was good. He even helped to clear the table. When he left, he seemed satisfied with how the evening went and that was when it dawned on Shirayuki. He had gone out of his way to try to make her grandmother like him more.
Does it…bother him that she doesn't like him? Does he know? She was washing the dishes after he left, frowning and feeling a little guilty for not realizing it sooner. When he was putting forth effort to be nice, to her or to her grandmother or even to one of the cats. His soft, caring face was what made her heart beat faster, she realized.
"Your sleepover is tomorrow, isn't it? I'll make plenty of snacks for you to take with you," her grandmother offered.
"…th-that's alright…um…it's just…me and Ashido-chan so…we really don't need a lot…" Shirayuki finished washing the dishes and excused herself to her room, planning to sort through her notes again.
Sitting on her bed, she flipped through her notebook to the notes she had organized. Reading through them, she made sure that they would be easy to understand and that her handwriting was clear enough. She was adding something to a note when her phone started to ring.
She jolted and answered her phone quickly, not wanting the ringing to disturb her grandmother. "…ah…Sh-Shirayuki Ume…speaking…"
"This…this is Yuki…right?"
"…T-Tamaki…?" She had given him her number when Togata had suggested that they all trade numbers, but he had yet to call her.
There was a small, relieved sigh. "I…wanted to ask you something. But…um…this is difficult. I should've practiced more. D-do you…want to visit the agency tomorrow after school? Fat Gum…wanted to talk to you about something."
She wanted to smile because she really enjoyed talking with Fat Gum and Amajiki. However, she remembered her plans with Ashido. "…ah…c-could I…call you back…? I-I need to…tell someone…um…I-I want to go, but I'm…sleeping over at a friend's tomorrow night…I'm sure she'll understand i-if I'm late, though…"
"W-wait!" he blurted out. The boy took a deep breath, psyching himself up for what he was about to say. "I-I thought we could…eat dinner together somewhere. I mean…after we leave the agency. I-in the evening."
"Alright, Tamaki! See? I told you that you could do it!" Togata's voice could be heard in the background. "What'd she say?"
"…um…ah…alright…I'll…t-tell my friend that I'll be a little late…"