Here's the next chapter! This is a sequel to The Winter Dance! I don't know how long it's going to be, but it might not be a short story. This is going to be more about Kirishima, but with other classmates here and there. I highly recommend reading The Winter Dance, Class 1-A's Sleepover and A Beautiful View to understand what's going on fully. Other than that, Enjoy!
"Hey guys! What's up?" Ashido asked everyone, "Dinner smells really good!"
"Yeah. Tonight's dinner is curry and rice!" Sato said with a smile.
"Dinner is ready if anyone wants any!" Yaoyorozu announced to anyone who was in the common room.
Almost everyone joined in, except Bakugo who was turned in for the day. Iida ended up coming back down after he dealt with Mineta and Kaminari. They came back down for dinner, but weren't looking too happy about it. Everyone ended up grabbing a serving from the kitchen and sitting back down with a plate and a drink. Kirishima ended up sitting with Midoriya and Uraraka since he was feeling pretty good about hanging out with them.
Kirishima noticed Ashido being the last one to grab a seat and a chair empty right next to him. She seemed to notice and went right for it.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Ashido asked him with a smile.
He felt his cheeks warm up, but tried to hide it.
"Y-Yeah, I mean... no, I don't mind," Kirishima said back, feeling a little flustered.
Ashido laughed at his flustered expression and sat next to him. Kirishima felt like he was fluttering so much not mentioning anything about the love letter. He looked at Midoriya and Uraraka, and they seemed to notice his nervousness too. It was a little quiet as Ashido got settled down at the table and took a sip of her drink. She then tried a bite of the curry and rice and instantly warmed up from the taste.
"Hmm... It's so good," Ashido commented with a smile, "This is exactly what I needed."
Kirishima smiled at her, feeling so happy to helping her feel better. He couldn't look away from her as the others all ate their dinner. Ashido seemed to notice and looked at his plate of curry untouched.
"Aren't you going to eat, Kirishima?" Ashido asked him, "It's going to get cold."
"Oh. Ye-Yeah..." Kirishima said back as he took a big bite out of the curry, "Oh, wow! That is good!"
For a while, no one said anything at the table that they were all sitting at. Midoriya and Uraraka shared a look and wondered what else to say to Ashido.
"You know, Ashido. Kirishima did help with dinner this time around," Uraraka said to her, "He's pretty good at cooking surprisingly."
"Really?" Ashido said with wide, golden eyes, "Girls do love a guy who can cook."
Kirishima felt himself blush across his eyes as she leaned in closer to him. He could feel her breath as she got closer, causing him to stiffen up a little. The fact that she just got out of the shower didn't help either. She smelled like strawberries and vanilla, and it was very enticing.
"Re-Really? I-I just made it because I thought y-you-- I mean, everyone deserves a comforting dinner," Kirishima said back, looking really flustered.
Ashido pulled back a bit, making Kirishima relax a little. She took another bite, making her feel so warm and relaxed.
"Well, I'd say I definitely deserve it after staying in school for so long," Ashido said to him, "Mr. Aizawa was being ridiculous about the sleepover. Everything worked out fine, and then he says to me to pull back on the sleepovers a bit. It's not my fault Mineta tried to take a bunch of pictures of us. He should be punished, not me."
"That is a little weird," Uraraka said back, "I'm sure that we can still have sleepovers, just nothing big like last time. Besides, I might be also have to do with me and Bakugo. That did come out of no where."
"Ochaco's right. That body switching quirk threw everyone off. I'm sure things will get back to normal in a little while. For now, maybe he'd be okay with a movie night," Midoriya suggested.
"Hey, yeah! Maybe we could do that next!" Ashido cried out as she ate more curry, "We should do that next weekend!"
Kirishima began to notice how comfortable she was sitting next to him and looked down at his pocket. The love letter barely poked out of it. He really didn't want to ask about it in front of all of his classmates and friends. He really wished that he could talk to her somewhere more private. After looking up from the letter, he realized that she had already finished her plate of curry.
He hadn't seen her that hungry in a while. It made him smile seeing her so happy.
"Well, that was delicious," Ashido said to them.
"Hey Ashido," Yaoyorozu said to her, "Don't forget that it's your turn to clean the dishes."
"Darn it! Alright, I'll do it," Ashido groaned as she got up from her seat and grabbed her plate.
Then Kirishima realized now was the time to ask her about the love letter. He looked back at Midoriya and Uraraka who were clearly thinking about the same thing. They motioned for him to go help her, and he grabbed his plate. He walked over there, feeling a little nervous to help her.
"I-I could help with the dishes," Kirishima said to her.
"What? But you helped make dinner. Aren't you tired?" Ashido asked him back as she gathered some dishes that were already empty.
"Yeah, but I don't mind," Kirishima said to her as he scratched the back of his head.
Ashido smiled at him, causing his heart to skip a beat. After almost everyone ate, they all gathered the dishes. Everyone from their class either went to watch TV in the common room or headed to their dorm rooms. Midoriya and Uraraka decided to watch TV and wait for Kirishima.
Once Kirishima grabbed all of the dishes, he noticed that Ashido was already washing them. She made sure they were scrubbed pretty good since Iida one time lectured her about not washing them enough. This time, she made sure to extra scrub them so they were squeaky clean. Kirishima waited for her to give him one of the dishes so he could dry it. He dried a few of them before wondering if he should ask her about the love letter.
She was surprisingly quiet at this time. Usually she was pretty loud and cheery after a long day of school. That was the time when she wanted to get together and hang out with everyone. He wasn't use to her being so quiet and wondered if there was something wrong. He decided to put the love letter aside for a moment and check in on her.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kirishima asked her, "You seem really quiet tonight."
"Oh? Sorry... I'm just a little tired tonight is all," Ashido said back as she washed a cup.
Kirishima could tell that there was something bothering her. He just hoped it was something he could help her with. Now that he thought about it, she was pretty quiet during school today. During lunch, he noticed her barely eating her salad and rice. Now he was really glad that he helped out with dinner if she wasn't feeling good.
"Is it anything that I can help with?" Kirishima asked her, "We are friends. Aren't we?"
Ashido looked up at him, but something about the look in her eyes looked different this time around. They looked less cheerful and more worried. Kirishima gave her a concerned look, which made her avoid eye contact with him.
"I-It's nothing. I just want to talk about something else, please?" Ashido asked back.
Kirishima really wanted to help her, but then realized that talking about something else was the best way to help her. Then he maybe thought about bringing up the love letter. Something about this moment told him not to, but he knew that this was the best time to tell her about it. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out.
"Umm... I actually do have something to talk about," Kirishima said to her, feeling his face heat up a little, "I found this... in my locker just now..."
Ashido's eyes locked onto the love letter, and she froze in place. All she could do was stare at the love letter, and Kirishima couldn't tell what this meant. He was a little nervous to keep going, but then he wondered if it really was her.
"I read it, and I thought that it might've been from... you..."
Ashido's eyes widened in shock and went to reach out to it. She hesitated, but Kirishima let her see it. Ashido grabbed it and read it over. Kirishima felt a little disappointed just because it seemed like she didn't know anything about it. The way she read it, it made him wonder if it really was from someone else. Her eyes grew in shock, but she didn't squeal or freak out like Uraraka did. Kirishima thought that was a little strange, especially coming from her.
After Ashido read it, she looked up with shocked eyes. Just by looking at her, he could tell that it wasn't her.
"You didn't write it, did you?" Kirishima asked her.
Ashido held the letter, and he could tell that she was wondering the same thing that he did when he read it. It took her a while to say anything, but Kirishima was worried that maybe this wasn't the time to show it to her.
"Ashido...?"
"S-Sorry... I just, can't believe someone actually wrote a love letter to you," Ashido said finally, "No... I didn't write this."
Kirishima felt something inside of him that felt really disappointed that it wasn't her. Then again, he couldn't imagine someone like her actually going through with something as cheesy and romantic as this. He felt himself start to laugh, and Ashido was really confused.
"What're you laughing at? Someone just gave you a love letter, and you thought that it was me," Ashido said to him.
"S-Sorry, I just... can't imagine you actually doing this..." Kirishima said back through his laughing.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ashido asked him a little upset.
Kirishima stopped laughing and noticed how upset she was. She looked a little confused and upset about something, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.
"I just I can't imagine you writing something like that and going through with it. It's so cheesy and romantic," Kirishima said back.
Something about her eyes and face looked really upset and angry now. He had never seen her look at him like that before. It was a little off putting, especially with eyes as cheerful and colorful as hers. Ashido didn't say anything, and she looked away from him. She eventually gave him the love letter back and went back to doing the dishes.
"Thank you for the help, Kirishima," Ashido said to him without looking at him, "But I think I can do the rest on my own. You can go now."
Kirishima felt hurt and really wanted to help her. She didn't even look up at him, so he walked away from her. He grabbed his school bag and headed towards his dorm room. Before he could enter the elevator however, Midoriya and Uraraka blocked his way.
"What happened?" Midoriya asked, looking concerned.
"Did she write the love letter?" Uraraka asked him.
"No... She didn't... Just forget about it... It was stupid anyway..." Kirishima said back barely looking at them.
Kirishima walked in between them and entered the elevator. He could tell that they were concerned about him and Ashido, but he kept going to his dorm room anyway. All he could think about was Ashido's face when he talked to her. She looked upset, but something about it didn't seem like she was mad at him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, which made it even more frustrating.
That look on her face. He'd never seen her look so disappointed before.
The elevator door finally opened, and he walked towards his dorm room. Before he entered his dorm room, he noticed that Bakugo's dorm room was pretty quiet. Kirishima figured he was asleep, so he walked past it and went to his room. Once he entered, he threw his school bag onto his bed and flopped down onto it. For a while, he just laid there staring at the ceiling.
Soon enough, he got up and put on his pajamas. Then he remembered that the love letter was still in his pocket. He pulled it out and read it again. The more he looked at it, the more frustrated he was at himself. He scrunched at it up in a ball and threw it in the trash.
"Of course it wasn't Ashido. She's just a friend," Kirishima said to himself.
Kirishima headed out of his dorm room and quickly headed out towards the showers. He was able to take one without anyone noticing him. All he could think about was Ashido and how good it felt to stand near her. How good she smelled when she stepped out of the shower. He really wanted to get over this feeling, but it just kept coming up.
The shower definitely helped him relax a little, and he soon headed back to his dorm room. Before he could enter however, he ended up bumping into Bakugo. He looked exhausted, but didn't say anything to him. Kirishima thought that he might've been heading over to the showers, but then he noticed him heading over to the elevator.
Kirishima wanted to say something, but something about this moment told him to just let him be. When he passed by him, Kirishima thought he saw him looking at him. Bakugo looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. Kirishima looked over his shoulder and found Bakugo already entering the elevator.
Once the elevator door closed, Kirishima entered his room.
He turned off the light and laid on his bed, ready for bed. As he fell asleep, all he could think about was Ashido and how beautiful she looked when she walked out of the elevator. The way she smelled like strawberry and vanilla. He felt himself start to relax and eventually fell asleep.
Kirishima squinted his eyes as sunlight streamed in from his window. The curtain wasn't quite closed all the way, so the light hit him just right. He stirred awake, feeling pretty well rested considering last night. In the corner of his eye, he saw the trashcan. With the love letter sitting on top of it. He groaned as he lifted his covers over his head.
Then he heard a knock at the door. Kirishima looked through the blanket and grabbed his phone.
It was only seven thirty AM.
He straightened up, wondering who could be at his dorm room this early on a Sunday. For a moment, he thought about ignoring it and going back to sleep.
"Kirishima... It's me... Ashido..."
Kirishima shot up from his bed, feeling flustered just from hearing her voice from behind the door. He got out of bed and ran straight to the door to open it. He fumbled a little for the doorknob, but soon opened it find Ashido right in front of him.
Ashido looked all dressed up, makeup and all. He felt himself heat up just from still being in bed and a mess.
"H-Hey, Ashido..." Kirishima said, trying to stay calm, "Wha-What're you doing here so early?"
"Well... after thinking it over. You know, the love letter..." Ashido said as she stood there outside of his dorm room.
Kirishima looked around, but no one was there. He let her inside his room so they could talk in private. He didn't need any of this getting out.
Then he realized that he was shirtless and fumbled for a shirt. He quickly put it on, making her laugh.
"Since when do you care about someone seeing you shirtless?" Ashido asked him, "I see you shirtless all the time."
Kirishima felt his face heat up in embarrassment and really wanted to get back to what she was talking about.
"Y-You said something about the love letter..." Kirishima said to her, "Look, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean it. I was just tired, and--"
"Kirishima. It's okay," Ashido interrupted him, "I was tired too. I might've over exaggerated a little bit, but after getting some rest, I want to help you find out who it is."
Kirishima blinked a few times, thinking that he heard her wrong.
"I-I'm sorry, what?" Kirishima asked back.
"I want to find out who gave you that love letter," Ashido explained to him, "Don't you want to find out too? I sure do!"
"B-But Ashido. I don't know if that's a good idea," Kirishima said to her, "I almost messed it up with you. You're my friend, and I don't want to mess things up with anyone else. Especially if it's someone in our class."
"That's why you've got me!" Ashido said back with a thumbs up and a wink, "I'll help you find them. Once we find them, we can go from there and see what you want to do about it."
Kirishima was really tempted to do this, but it felt kind of weird considering he really thought it was her for a moment there. If it ended up being anyone else, he didn't know how he'd even handle it. Then again, because of that it might best to have her around. He looked up at her and realized that she was not backing down anytime soon.
Kirishima laughed at how ridiculous this was.
"I can't believe this I'm actually doing this," Kirishima said to her.
Ashido smiled at him and jumped in the air. Kirishima reached into his trashcan and took out the crumpled up love letter. He opened it up and realized just now how fancy the writing was.
"Now that I'm seeing it after getting some rest, I don't know what I was thinking. This looks nothing like your handwriting," Kirishima said to her.
"I mean, obviously. But whoever this person is could've just been taking their time so it doesn't look like their handwriting," Ashido explained, "It's pretty fancy to just be someone's regular handwriting."
"I guess you're right," Kirishima said once he realized that.
"See? I knew you needed my help," Ashido said sticking her tongue out.
Then Kirishima noticed that she spotted something on his desk. It was a picture frame of a couple of his friends from middle school. Ashido picked it up, really interested in the picture. They might've been friends, but they didn't know each other back then like they do now. He barely knew anything about her when they went to school together. Just that she was strong and had a cool quirk.
"Middle school feels like such a long time ago..." Ashido said to him with a subtle smile.
"Yeah, it sure does. We didn't really know each other back then like we do now," Kirishima said to her, "Isn't that weird?"
Ashido looked up at him and noticed his hair was now somewhat damp from a shower he took last night. His hair was usually spiky and sticking up. She smiled and looked back at the picture.
"Even your hair was very different," Ashido said to him, "You know, I still haven't told anyone about it. Not even Hagakure."
Kirishima was shocked to hear her say that. Ashido wasn't exactly known for keeping secrets.
"Really? I'm kind of surprised. Don't you talk to Hagakure about everything?" Kirishima asked her.
"Yeah, but I'm not going to tell her about something like that. That'd be something for you tell, not me," Ashido said to him with a smile.
Ashido then did something that he wasn't expecting. She leaned in and pulled up the front of his red hair that was now messy and down from taking a shower last night.
"Besides, we're horn buddies. I want it to stay that way," Ashido said with a bright smile.
Kirishima felt sweat beading down his face as her breath hit against him. He instinctively stepped away from her so fast and ended up slamming into the wall. Without realizing it, he accidentally used his quirk when he slammed into it.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Ashido cried out.
"Ye-Yeah. I-I'm okay..." Kirishima said back as he stood up from the damaged wall, "I-I just... wasn't expecting you to do that is all."
"Sorry, I might've gotten carried away there," Ashido said to him, feeling a little embarrassed.
"No, it's okay..." Kirishima said as he looked back at the damaged wall, "Oh man, Mr. Aizawa is not going to be happy with me today."
"I'll say that it's my fault. Besides, you helped me with the dishes," Ashido said back.
Kirishima smiled and then realized that he was still in his pajamas. He felt himself getting flustered again, but quickly acted on it.
"U-Umm... C-Can you wait for a minute? I've gotta get changed," Kirishima said to her as he grabbed a quick outfit out of his drawers.
"Sure. I'll just wait in here," Ashido said as she sat on his desk chair.
Kirishima turned a little red, but tried to ignore it and ran into the restroom next to his bedroom. He could already feel himself heating up from being so close to her. He quickly turned on the sink and splashed cold water onto his face. Ever since he thought she wrote the love letter, he's been all over the place. He always talked to her so casually and easily before, but now it seems so hard to even get two words out of his mouth.
"Come on... I can do this..." Kirishima mumbled to himself, "It's just Ashido... We've been friends for a while..."
After a minute of cooling down, he quickly got dressed and did his hair with some gel. That took a little longer than getting dressed, and he wondered if she was still there. He opened his door to see her now sitting on his bed. He smiled at how cute she looked when she was sitting there, looking around his room. Kirishima tucked the love letter into his pocket and was ready to head out.
"You ready to go?" Kirishima asked her.
"Yeah! Let's go!"