She didn't have to wait long before seeing the group from the Baseball pitch again.

The very next day, after a long lie-in and an afternoon of pampering herself, she answered the knock on her door with freshly manicured nails and her hair in rollers.

"Heh. Heya Callie," Sam's mellifluous voice greeted her. She still found herself smiling every time she heard his and his brother's charming accent.

"Hey," she replied, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe as Sam tried to keep his eyes from ogling her hair-roller-covered head up high and her bare legs down low. His eyes settled on her smirking lips instead.

"Need something?" She asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow as he continued to stall.

Russ never seemed to bat an eyelid when Callie wore short-shorts around the house. Perhaps because he was so used to being around pretty cheerleaders in skimpy outfits. Sam, however, seemed somewhat bashful behind his round glasses.

It didn't take long for him to recompose himself as though, as his demeanour returned to that casual slump she had grown so accustomed to seeing.

"Yeah. Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to come Grillby's with me this evening."

Oh?

Perhaps he wasn't as timid as she thought he was. Was he asking her out on a date?

"Grillby's?" She found herself repeating, slightly taken aback by the random proposal to say much else.

"Yeah," he replied, shrugging the shoulders concealed beneath another one of those oversized hoodies he liked to wear. "It's a bar just a short drive off campus. Russ said a friend of his was playing a gig there tonight and everyone was gonna go watch. I thought you might wanna come with."

Oh!

Okay, so not a date. Phew. But another chance to get out and get to know more people. And the idea of leaving campus for a while was even more appealing; she hadn't had much time to explore anywhere else in the city so far.

"Sounds fun! What time are they all going?" She still needed to finish her hair and put on some clothes that didn't make Sam drop his eyes every few sentences. The detail would have annoyed her had she not found his obvious attempts to refrain quite adorable. The slight tinge that appeared across his dimpled cheeks when she caught his eye made her return the grin he shut her.

Clearing his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck, he replied. "Eh. They're already there. Most of them went early to help set up."

Callie nodded her head in acknowledgement of the situation. "Okay, fair enough. Give me, say, half an hour? And I'll be right with you!" He returned the smile she flashed him before turning to wait in the lounge with a casual, "no worries."

She took a little longer than anticipated, but Sam didn't seem to notice as she stepped out of her room with her hair in waves and her legs wrapped in dark, skinny jeans. She'd swiped on some lipstick for good measure.

"You remind me of Medusa with your hair like that." Came Sam's low drawl as he rose from the couch with a joint-popping stretch of his arms.

Callie turned her face from the mirror she had been checking herself in to throw him a smiling eye-roll.

"That's the second time this week someone has compared me to a creepy, serpent lady." Callie informed him with a light click of her tongue. Which wasn't forked, thank you very much.

Sam's sleepy face, (he had most likely taken a nap while he waited for her to get ready), pulled into a lopsided grin.

"Welp." He chuckled, "who was the other person?"

Callie thought back to the blond-haired, mean-eyed, scowling...

"Bakugo."

Sam scooped up his keys from the coffee table as he made a grunting noise of recognition. "Ah. Yeah. Lemme guess, he gave you one of his charming nicknames?"

Callie nodded as she watched him pat himself down, checking he had his phone and wallet on him. The bar they were heading to clearly didn't require a dress code if Sam was heading there in his scuffed sneakers, black sweatpants and hoody. And just when she began to question what was missing from the outfit style she had grown familiar to seeing him wear, he pulled on the beanie hat that had gotten lost in the depths of the couch.

"Yeah," she sighed, as he pulled on the hat and hopped over the couch and over to her. "He calls me Snake-Eyes." And although a quick glimpse back in the mirror did confirm her eyes were rather serpent-like, especially when shaped by the dark eyeliner she was currently wearing, that didn't mean she appreciated the title.

"Heh. Could be worse," Sam responded with a casual shrug as he held open the door for her. "He calls me Bone-head."

Callie frowned, silently questioning him. He went on to explain.

"Because apparently I'm as pale as a skeleton," he rolled his eyes. "Oh, and it's Little Bone-head to be precise. He calls Russ Big Bone-head."

And Callie understood it was due to their height difference, not age difference, as Sam was in fact the older sibling and not in fact the taller Russ.

She agreed Snake-Eyes was indeed a far better nickname. Although, she had to agree with Bakugo, Sam and Russ Gaster did look rather skull-like, with their snow-white features and wide grins. Sam's darkened under-eyes didn't help the fact although Russ' muscly physique sure did- there was nothing skeletal about those biceps. And beneath Sam's oversized attire? Who knew...

As Little Bone-head drove them to the bar, he played a couple of songs from the EP produced by the artist they were going to see. She had a great voice and her songs were up-liftingly upbeat. After a couple of tracks, Callie was ready for a cocktail or two.

They pulled into the parking lot and the first thing Callie noticed was the dull glow of neon that lit up the tarmac. A couple of small groups of college students milled around outside a large, wood-clad building that looked like it belonged on a ski-resort. Through the clouds of cigarette smoke the groups produced, Callie made out the sign that read 'Grillby's.'

Something told her that not all the students were old enough to drink, yet many cradled bottles of beer and other glasses of coloured drinks in their hands. In fact, she was pretty sure that most of the students Russ had introduced her to yesterday were just shy of 20 years old. She found herself turning to Sam and asking as they crossed the parking lot, "how does this place not get in trouble for serving to underage students?"

Sam chuckled, twirling his car keys idly on his finger, his other hand pushed into his jacket pocket.

"The police have been down a few times but there's a rumour that one of the twins who own the bar is secretly part of some underground, criminal organisation that controls half the city." The way he said this made Callie second guess whether or not he was joking. She shot him a bewildered look that only broadened his grin as they pushed open the doors to the, now immediately questionable, establishment. But before Callie could voice her confusion and concerns, a chorus of greetings sounded in their direction.

Just like Sam had said, Russ and the others were already there, sat directly in front of the stage. A few other people were gathered around the drink-covered table that Callie didn't recognise- two to be exact. They looked about the same age as the other freshmen. Old enough to vote, but too young to be drinking what looked like mojitos and craft beer.

Mina and Ochako had been the first to greet them as they walked through the door.

"Front row seats, eh?" Sam mentioned as he pulled out two seats for him and Callie. She thanked him and took her place between the two Gaster brothers.

"Kaminari insisted," Russ teased as he shot him a knowing look. The boy in question was one of the people Callie didn't know, a cute boy with strikingly blond hair and bright eyes-- a sharp contrast with the dark haired, tired-eyed guy who sat next to him. Like Sam, he looked like he could use a full days worth of sleep. Yet, also like Sam, the aesthetic kinda suited him, in a grungy sort of way.

Kaminari hummed proudly in response, lips curling into a grin. "O' course! It's Jiro's first gig here after all!"

"She's the girl who'll be playing tonight," Kirishima explained to Callie, unaware that she had already had a taste of her music and was quite looking forward to hearing it live. "She's really talented!"

"But we all know her talent isn't the only thing we came for. Right Kaminari?" Teased Mina, who was sitting beside the blond. She gave him a few playful elbow jabs to the arm as she wagged her eyebrows at the unspoken suggestion.

"What? Is it not?"

The boy with dark hair and tired eyes smirked at his friend's obliviousness.

"This is Shinso, by the way," Kaminari informed the group, clearly a new member that Callie wasn't the only one not to have met yet. "He's a little gloomy, but he's a nice guy."

Shinso pulled a drowsy smile and gently nodded his head, unfazed by Kaminari's peculiar introduction. "Pleased to meet you."

As the group began to dive into random conversation, Callie listened on politely while occasionally adding a comment when she was addressed, though she had to admit, she did feel a little shy at times. There were so many big personalities around the table; from Kirishima and Russ' overflowing manliness and Ochako and Deku's honey-sweet laughter to Mina and Kaminari's bubbly auras and Bakugo's snarling outburst. Callie found herself receding into Sam and Shinso's laid-back quietness.

Rather than join in with the current discussion on which drinks had the most bang for their buck, Callie distracted herself by admiring the low-key and relaxed atmosphere of the venue. On the drive there, Sam had mentioned how this particular bar was one of his favourites, and despite her initial reservations, she could see why. The wooden clad walls, dimly lit lights and the gentle glow of colourful neon certainly gave the place a charming appeal.

"Not too shabby, eh?" Sam piped up as he bumped a shoulder into hers, breaking her out of her thoughts, that lazy half grin of his displayed on his face as she turned to face him.

"Yeah. It's rather quaint for an establishment run by a criminal organisation." She still hoped to god that was a joke.

Sam's low chuckle neither confirmed nor denied the fact. "Want another?" He asked, jutting his chin towards her empty glass.

They left for the bar as the conversation slipped into a heated discussion about which sandwich joint made the best meatball sub.

It seemed Sam was a real regular as the twin named Grillby served Sam right away and asked whether or not to put the two drinks on his tab. As Sam nodded, then half-heartedly made the promise to pay it off fully by the end of the month, Callie got a good look at the twins. The one eyeing Sam's poor excuse of a promise with an unconvinced expression was dressed in warm shades of orange and red. His arms were folded neatly over his paisley waistcoat as he watched Sam slide Callie's drink towards her. The other twin was polishing glasses at the far end of the bar. He wore an equally patterned waistcoat, but in darker shades of black and purple. Sam later informed her his name was Kuro. He was the one rumoured to be an underground criminal and whose name didn't appear on the sign outside.

Other than their contrasting colour palettes and supposed sides of the law, Grillby and Kuro were identical in every way. They both had dark features and thick, wavy hair that drifted upwards like the flame of a candle. Neither of them looked like people you wanted to mess with. Callie didn't know how Sam could feel so at ease owing so much money to them. Apparently his tab had reached three figures now. But he declined her offer to pay the next few rounds.

Half way through her 4th drink, (she made a mental note to slow down, but damn, Grillby made one hell of a cocktail), Jirou's voice sounded over the speakers. After a quick introduction and a polite thanks for the loud applause she received, she strummed the first chords to her song. Unlike the energetic tracks Callie had heard earlier, the set list Jirou chose for the evening were far more relaxed.

The chilled music and the warm buzz of alcohol had her feeling far more at ease amongst the group as they all sat and listened, some singing during the chorus along while others bobbed their heads. Sam was tucking into a plate of fries that no one had the stomach to steal from due to the fact that Sam clearly had an unsavoury liking for ungodly amounts of ketchup. Callie wondered how on earth he kept his skin so clear beneath his faint, fair stubble as she watched him pop an entirely sauce covered french fry into his mouth. It seemed she wasn't the only one watching Sam's peculiar habit; Bakugo had scrunched up his nose in judgement.

Glancing up from his plate, Sam cocked a brow. "What?"

"You know..." Bakugo began, and Callie knew an insult was being prepped on his tongue, "eating all that ketchup won't bring any colour to your face, Bonehead."

Sam snorted a laugh, seemingly unfazed by the comment. "Yeah? Well all that bitterness won't add any flavour to your drink, kiddo."

But Bakugo only clicked his tongue as Sam nodded his head in the direction of Bakugo's beverage of choice; water. Funnily enough, despite the rest of the freshmen enjoying a drink, he seemed to be the only one, other than the designated drivers, with a non alcoholic choice. Who'd have thought?

It seemed banter between Sam and Bakugo was a regular thing as none of the others in the group made any sort of reaction to the to-ing and fro-ing of insults and clap-backs. Instead, they applauded loudly over them as Jirou's final song came to an end.

"You were awesome, Jirou!" Kaminari said brightly as Russ pulled out a chair for her.

The dark haired girl blushed softly beneath her cool makeup as she thank him and all the other compliments she received from around the table. And when Kirishima introduced her to Callie, she flashed her a smile and shook her hand gently.

The rest of the night grew a little more boisterous now that Jirou's chilled acoustic set had ended, leaving everyone to the mercy of the Jukebox. The mood dipped and dived, from Kirishima's choice of classic rock to Kaminari's EDM. Callie didn't take Sam for a rap sort of guy, but he seemed to know all the complex lyrics to the songs he chose as he muttered them under his breath as he scrolled through his phone. Mina and Ochako were dancing beneath the pink glow of neon, the effect making Mina, who was stood closest to it, look like she had pink skin as well as her pink hair. It seemed Ochako's habit of staring was shared by Deku, who was watching her sway her hips discreetly over the rim of his glass. Callie wondered if they were both aware that they watched each other when the other wasn't looking. A second thought suggested this was unlikely.

"You're right to assume they're both completely clueless." Shinso's casual drawl carried over the music, breaking Callie out of her daze. Blinking away the last of her thoughts, she turned her attention to the tired looking guy, but he had returned his to drink without another word to her.

Okay then...

After losing an arm wrestling match to a muscly women with red hair who went by the name Undyne, cheered on by her girlfriend while the girls from the basketball team performed a pompomless dance at their side, Russ declared he was gonna drive Sam and Callie home. He, Jirou and Shinso were the designated drivers. Even in her tipsy state, Callie was glad of their responsibility.

As she crossed the parking lot, she found herself bumping softly between Russ and Sam as she walked between them. The former merely chuckled at her uneasy gait and offered her his arm which she gladly took with a slightly slurred murmur of thanks. Despite having consumed just as many drinks as her, Sam was steady on his feet as he slipped into the front passengers seat next to his younger sibling. However, he did grumble something about not looking forward to going to work tomorrow, and that's the last thing Callie remembered before waking up, fully clothed in her own bed the next morning.