Kirishima held the warm coffee in his right hand, the other nervously drumming the table of the coffee shop. No one really concerns their mind with the idea of reuniting with former classmates, and he didn't think he would; except perhaps if one of them ever wanted to throw a party to make a reunion for all of them but they were still pretty young so none of them had ever reached that level of nostalgia.
He had been surprised to find out that Mina had a YouTube channel. Since high school began he had barely heard anything about her. What didn't surprise him was the fast and astounding success her channel seemed to have, she was always a constant source of never ending energy and so charismatic that people found themselves enjoying her company with an almost unnatural ease. He never was the popular kid like she was but he always admired her for the confidence she seemed to burst with every step.
"Can I take a picture with you?" The voice of a young teenage girl pulled him out of his train of thought. She stared at him, hopeful and nervous at the same time.
"Of course!" Kirishima smiled widely and posed so the girl could take a selfie with him.
"Thank you!" She mumbled putting her phone back into her purse "I really love your videos"
"Thank you so much that's very nice of you" The girl nodded with a smile before turning her back to him and walking towards her friends to show them the picture she had just taken.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Popular" Hearing Mina's voice was like feeling a breeze of fresh air. She stood in front of him wearing a simple hoodie and a pair of jeans and heart shaped glasses that she placed on the top of her head
"Mina! Hello!" he greeted with a smile, standing up from his table almost knocking it in the process, like usual his red hair was stiff and like her, he was wearing a hoodie and a pair of loose jeans with dark red converse. His voice was smooth and not too deep but it almost came stammered.
"Well, don't stand like that, give this old friend a hug!" Before he could answer she already had her arm around him preventing him to return the gesture.
"Nice to see you again Mina" he mumbled with a soft smile, the last time he had seen her they were of the same height now her face buried in his chest. The young woman broke the hug allowing him to move the chair, so she could sit in the table he had been waiting at.
"I can't believe I haven't seen you for five years? Maybe six?" She furrowed her eyebrows and he was thankful that it seemed like if she would take over most of the conversation. "How have you been? Well, you've obviously been doing well on YouTube, but are you studying something? Do you have a girlfriend?" The questions came in rapid fire, Kirishima went over each of them in his mind trying to answer all of them.
"I am studying physical therapy, and I've been well, I now live with three guys and it gets wild sometimes. We are lucky the count of days without someone getting electrocuted is near ten. And no, I don't have a girlfriend" He smiled sheepishly at this "How about you, how has your life been?"
"I've been good. I'm currently studying fashion!" Mina's voice resonated with excitement, Kirishima opened his eyes wide, it was clear she still had something to say.
"The workload is higher than I expected, but it's nothing I can't handle. You should see the designs some of my classes come up with. Man, they are so creative! A friend of mine once made a dress out of nothing but clothing she no longer used and it looked so great!"
"I'm sure what you create is great too" Kirishima intervened, hoping she had already placed an order before sitting with him.
"I hope it is! Some teachers have complimented me on my work. They say I have potential and that sometimes my clothes look like what someone would wear under the effects of acid" This made Kirishima choke on his drink, Mina patted him in the back until the boy had relaxed and the coughing was significantly reduced.
"That's an odd choice of words" Kirishima spoke between coughs.
"It means my designs are original and bold" Mina explained chuckling.
"Saying it like makes it sound a little better" Kirishima smiled embarrassed by the coughing fit he had a few seconds ago.
A few seconds of silence passed between the two of them as they stared around looking the place, it was half full of people talking or just sitting on their computers and taking advantage of the free wi-fi the place provided. It was then when the barista called Mina and the girl walked her way to the counter returning to the table with a bright pink drink in her hand. Kirishima stood baffled at the drink for a few seconds, it was bright almost fluorescent, like if they threw pink colored toxic waste on it.
"Is that good?" He questioned blinking for a few seconds as the girl drank from it.
"It is!"
"What is it called?" The boy tried to read the menu that hung above the baristas' heads but there was nothing that had the name 'bright' or 'pink' or 'toxic warning' on it.
"Cotton Candy Special, I saw it in a sign outside and I was sure I must taste it. It's not every day I get to drink something bright pink that doesn't have the Unicorn plastered on it. Don't misunderstand me, unicorns are cute and all, but where's the love for my outwordly stuff?" She pouted drink a bit more. "Why did you choose physical therapy?"
The question took Kirishima aback, she was looking at him with curiosity, tilting her head to the side, the cold drink now on the table instead of in her hands. Kirishima rubbed the back of his head smiling nervous thinking about what he could say to Mina who was patiently waiting for an answer.
"It just felt like the right thing for me I guess" He shrugged, the answer felt incomplete. "When the time to begin writing college applications arrived I was still meditating on what to do, and most of my friends had already figured it out and I was still fumbling between thousands of careers trying to pick the best one until I was watching the news and this man was talking about how his job took him to many different places and how he helped everyone he could from professional athletes to disabled people and it just felt like something I wanted to do" He admitted.
"It suits you" Mina mumbled.
"Excuse me?"
"Helping people, it feels like something you were born to do" Kirishima lowered his eyes embarrassed while the girl smiled at him empathetic.
The conversation flew easily between the two of them as the afternoon progressed, somehow it felt like if they were just trying to pull conversation topics out of a hat one after another until it was around eight and Mina's phone emitted a small alert.
"Sorry" She apologized putting her phone back into her purse. "I have homework to do, a ton of it actually, and I still have to plan next video because apparently I have subjects now that demand I keep my position as their queen. I feel awful about this, I was having a great time" Kirishima stood up from his chair.
"No, it's okay. I get it" He smiled at the girl "I just hope we can meet again sometime soon" Mina blinked for a few seconds until a smile grew across her face.
"Oh! Of course we will! You are my YouTube buddy now we must meet sometime soon!" She assured.
They walked side by side until they reached the entrance of the coffee shop. They stopped outside of the place staring at each other trying to say something that would make it feel like a proper goodbye.
"Wouldn't you like me to accompany you home?" Kirishima questioned.
"Nah, I'll be fine. The bus stop that takes me to my place is at the end of the street" Mina said pointing at her right, Kirishima glanced confirming what the pink haired girl had said. It was then when Mina stood in her tiptoes as tall as she could and gave the boy a quick kiss barely reaching his cheek.
"I had a lot of fun Kirishima, see you!" she turned the back to him beginning to walk her way down the street oblivious to how the boy stared at her dumbfounded with his cheeks pink until she reached the bus stop.
-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Kirishima opened the apartment's door slowly, putting the keys back into his pockets he searched for the light switch on the wall surprised it seemed like there was no one inside. When the lights flickered until they lit up the place Sero and Kaminari jumped in front of him making him instinctively give a step backwards noticing how Bakugou was on the couch with Camie poking his cheek nonchalant to what surrounded them. Kaminari blew the kazoo on his mouth making it emit a weird sound, Kirishima then noticed the banner that hung in display of everyone who entered the house.
"Congratulations in the first date of your life"
He wanted to die on the spot.
"Do you like it?" Sero questioned with pride, Camie waved at him from the couch putting up an empathetic smile for the poor man. "Kaminari and I thought this was a great occasion worth of celebrating"
"It wasn't a date, we were just catching up" Kirishima corrected closing the door behind him.
"So, a date" Kaminari pried, the redhead sighed.
"We were just talking about our lives it doesn't sound like a date"
"That's exactly what you do on a date" Sero joined Kaminari trying to get their friend to accept what it was obvious to them.
"Still, it wasn't one. When you want to go to a date with someone you specifically ask them 'hey, do you want to go on a date with me?'"
"It kinda sounds like a date" Camie intruded putting a stop to messing with Bakugou for a second to pry on the conversation the trio was having, Kirishima turned to her, eyes pleading she wouldn't give more energy to the duo.
"Sorry Kirishima, but you are a cute guy; you deserve a date sometimes" After saying this Bakugou grunted passing one hand over her shoulder and pulling her close. Kirishima was unable to hear what Camie said afterwards but noticed how Bakugou's face turned bright red and held the woman tighter hiding his face in the crook of her neck.
"Even Camie agrees it was a date" Sero insisted pointing at the girl who now seemed to be too entertained with Bakugou to pay any further attention to their dilemma.
"It wasn't a date" Kirishima settled before he boy with black hair could pull an argument on how women knew about that sort of thing.
"What, you don't think she's cute?" Kaminari's question caught him off guard, painting his cheeks a bright pink.
"Of course she is cute!" Kirishima raised his voice at the pair, startled by it himself while the other two just exhibited cat-like grins.
"Then?" Sero questioned.
"It just isn't a date" Kirishima shrugged with a sigh turning his back on the group as he walked towards his bedroom.