NeonHorizon: I wanted to make an attempt at writing something a little more lighthearted since I usually write darker sort of stories. It's just for fun so I'm not sure how often I'll update, but I wanted to see if I could write something sweeter.

She frowned down at the cardboard box, head tilted as she tried to decide what to do with it. The meowing inside would surely draw someone's attention eventually, but she was afraid of what might happen if no one heard them. A quick glance up and down the street showed that the rain had driven most people to rush to their destinations. No one else was hanging around the sidewalk.

I don't want to just leave them, but if I don't hurry then I'll be late for school. One of the kittens leaned up out of the box to bat at the surgical mask covering her nose and mouth. She wanted to smile, but she was still worried about their well-being. If I just leave my umbrella, everything should be fine. Grandma will understand. If this box is still here though…when I get out of school…

"What are you doing, Shirayuki?"

The girl tensed and bowed her head. She knew that voice. "…Shinsou-kun…"

He stepped closer, peering down at the kittens in the box. "Oh."

"…yeah…" To her surprise, he crouched down beside her on the sidewalk and settled his umbrella over the box to shield it from the rain. What is he doing? He's going to get soaked if he does that. To her further surprise, he pried her umbrella from her hand and straightened. "…what…?"

"Let's go. Don't you have perfect attendance?"

She shook her head, but got up and straightened her mask. It made her heart race to walk so close to him. They had gone to the same middle school, but they had never really been friends. They had yet to interact at all since starting high school. She was in class 1-A and he was in class 1-C.

"…hope the rain stops…" she murmured, peering out at the downfall.

He was silent and simply held the umbrella over them both. As they approached the school grounds, his gaze slid over to her. Not much had changed about her since middle school, despite having gotten into the hero course through recommendations.

She was on the shorter side and had long, unruly hair that was a dark shade of violet that almost looked black. Her head was bowed, a few stray locks of hair falling forward to hide the bright crimson hue of her eyes. The surgical mask that she wore was a pale blue color with small flowers embroidered on it. Shinsou knew from middle school that it was used to hide her mouth rather than actually filter her breathing. It was a big insecurity of hers.

They reached the school building, ignoring the odd looks that some of the other students gave them, and she watched him put the umbrella into his locker. "…after school…" she started.

"Just meet me here. I don't live that far from you."

"…o-okay…" The girl bowed and set off for her own locker to change her shoes. I hope those kittens will be alright. If they're still there after school, I'll take them home with me. Grandma will understand. And if we can't keep them, I'll find homes for them. Shirayuki had her head down as she walked to her classroom, frowning behind her mask.

She made it to her desk without making eye contact with anyone and sat with her head bowed, her hair falling over her eyes. It was truly a miracle that she managed to get into UA. When she heard the other students talk about the entrance exam, she was very glad that she got in through recommendations. Although, it made her worry. The fact that the entrance exam scared her made her worry about how she would handle being a real hero.

I'm too early, she realized as she looked around. Not many of her classmates were there yet so it was just her and a few others. Glancing toward Kirishima and Kaminari, she quickly felt her stomach twisting in knots. Don't look over here. Please don't look over here. You haven't tried to talk to me yet, but-!

"Hey, Shirayuki! You're always really early, aren't you?"

She winced. She turned to look their way again, blushing profusely behind her mask. "…ah…y-yeah, sort of…" The girl rubbed the back of her neck, careful not to bump the ties to her mask, and attempted to tilt her head. "…you're…early today, too…"

"I wanted to try to beat the rain, but it started when I was halfway here," Kirishima explained. He walked over to sit on the desk next to hers, smiling. "What about you? I bet you brought two umbrellas, right?"

"You look like the responsible type," Kaminari agreed, taking the seat behind hers. "But it does kind of look like you got wet. Don't tell me! You saw a box with a puppy in it and put your umbrellas up to keep it dry!" He grinned.

"…it was kittens…and one umbrella…" she mumbled, looking away.

"No way! Seriously? Where are they?"

"You've got to show us after school!"

"…I…I'm walking home with someone…"

The two exchanged a curious look. "Boyfriend?"

"…n-no…" Her face went from pink to red. "…just…someone…"

"You're in my seat. Move it." Bakugou's voice broke through the conversation, drawing everyone's attention. Kaminari moved to the seat in front of Shirayuki, frowning at their grumpy classmate.

The girl talked a little bit more with Kirishima and Kaminari before they had to go to their desks. Sitting quietly now, she kept her head bowed. She had never actually spoken to Bakugou. He was intimidating. He was in the worst possible seat; right behind the quietest girl in class. Every time he raised his voice, she flinched and was tempted to duck under her desk.

I need to be tougher than this, she thought as she trembled. But I can feel him glaring at me. And I'm too afraid to ask Aizawa-sensei if I can change desks. He's intimidating, too! Shirayuki tried to focus on what Aizawa was saying, but she was too distracted by the glare piercing into the back of her head.

Between classes, she hoped that her classmate would calm down and talk to his friends. Or at the very least stop glaring at her. Is he really that angry that Kaminari-kun was in his seat? Shirayuki's eyes widened when she heard him speak.

"Hey, red eyes. Your hair's wet."

She was now shaking too much to actually hold her pencil. "…I-I didn't have much cover from my umbrella…" she explained, softly. Shirayuki chanced a look over her shoulder and saw his stare directed at her dark hair.

"Where do you live?"

"…what…?"

"Where do you live?!" he repeated in a growl.

I have no idea what's going on right now, but why is he shouting?! Shirayuki was about to blurt out her general neighborhood, but was thankfully interrupted.

"Shirayuki, I brought your book back." Midoriya approached her desk, having gone the long way around the row of desks to get there. He held out one of her favorite folklore books and smiled. "This was really interesting. Thanks for lending it to me."

"We're in the middle of something, Deku." The light-haired boy scowled up at Midoriya, who simply frowned. "Where the hell do you live?" he repeated again, looking back to Shirayuki.

"Kacchan, don't shout at her..."

"I'm just asking her a question!"

Shirayuki crossed her arms in front of her on the desk and bit her lower lip, her frown hidden behind her mask. "…I…I live with my grandmother near-"

Thankfully, she was interrupted again. This time she was interrupted by the next class beginning. Why did he want to know where I live? I can't imagine that he wanted to walk me home. Not someone like him. I can feel him glaring at me again. Sweat collected along her hairline and she felt her lip begin to bleed from how hard she was biting it.

At lunch time, she sat by herself in the cafeteria. She tried to avoid people at all costs when she ate. At the beginning of the school year, Shirayuki tried to take her food elsewhere to eat, but had been told by a teacher that she should try to socialize. So she compromised. She ate with her head down, trying to keep her mouth hidden as best she could.

The girl was just about to pull down her mask when three figures approached her table and helped themselves to the seats around hers. Crimson eyes lifted and widened as she saw Kirishima, Kaminari, and Ashido. "…am I…in your spot…?"

"Oh. Er…maybe we should've asked first? Can we sit with you?" Kirishima beamed, hesitantly holding his tray over the table's surface.

"…i-it's okay…" she conceded.

"I wanted to hear about the kittens you saw this morning," Ashido spoke up. She sat beside Shirayuki, smiling brighter than the sun.

So…bright. All three of them are so bright and cheerful. And I just…don't fit in at all. We're all training to become heroes, but I don't fit in with them at all. Despite these dark thoughts, Shirayuki mumbled her earlier explanation to Ashido and winced when the girl enthusiastically asked to walk with her after school.

She waited for the other three to be preoccupied with their meals before pulling down her mask and letting it settle loosely around her neck. The last thing she wanted was for them to stare at her mouth. In adaptation to her quirk, her mouth was wider than a normal person's. A full two inches wider. She felt like a monster each time she had to open her mouth in front of others.

"Whoa. You're pretty hungry, huh?" Kaminari asked, pointing at the rather large portions of food sitting in front of her.

"…yeah…" Shirayuki bowed her head further, lifting a bunch of ramen to her mouth. "…it…gets expensive…" Sitting with the group of three, she started to feel a little less out of place. No one mentioned her mouth, despite her knowing that she looked like some sort of nightmare creature. Plenty of people looked strange, but she was extremely self-conscious.

Walking back to class with them, she could not help but smile behind her mask. In middle school, she had been a shut in. She studied, went to school, went home, and that was it. No friendships to speak of. No clubs. She had hoped that high school would be a good chance to turn it around, even though she was terrified by the thought of approaching others.

Sitting at her desk again, the girl looked out at the continuous downpour. It's still raining. What am I going to tell Shinsou-kun after school?