' a soft wrongness '

━━━━━

Wednesday mornings were all waking up late at eight and chasing the time only to end up finding a distraction on street corners and the flower petals tumbling from stalks and arriving at ten at the exact time for Hero Art. It was the time where the sun shown brightly and flashed a myriad of colors to those conceited enough to look at it in the eye.

Now, as the much awaited summer escapade set its course, Wednesday mornings turned to the smell of disinfectants and blue gels sprayed out of transparent bottles with label warnings and mute surroundings.

Yuko's Wednesday morning was all smiles and drama, with silver grey hair hanging loosely on her side and cornflower eyes alit with excitement and pale skin where stars splintered and eyes unraveled the universe's secrets and fingertips traced the galaxy's edge.

It was about chocolate hazelnut haired girls with roses blooming on cheeks and boys with striking eyes and scorching determinations and love enclosed in weaved wooden baskets flowing with fruits of all shapes and sizes.

"I know it's late and all," she tells Uraraka, her cherry lips stretched into a smile. "But congratulations on passing!"

"Thanks," the word tumbles from kind lips and Yuko crosses lithe limbs underneath her stitched stature and over white unblemished sheets. She makes it a point to make her legs carry her weight and she can vaguely recognize the effect of late night chocolate bars and bowls of free somen underneath steel roofs where millions and thousands of iridescent dots were reflected.

She lets a shoulder rest on her knee and it collides with her almost nonexistent cheekbones, covered with flesh and skin almost a perfect shade of pale red underneath the ghostly artificial light. "Did Recovery Girl get mad?"

Uraraka averts her gaze, knots hands behind her back, whistling all the while and Yuko's eyes narrow. That was a candid response in itself. "I take it she wasn't too pleased," Yuko says, scratching the back of her head, tousling silver grey strands.

Uraraka chuckles awkwardly and Yuko continues to plant blue stares unto her and she knew she would have gotten a response if it weren't for the entrance of the Stain Trio.

The first thing cornflower eyes catch underneath the cheap lighting are the sheens, shapes and sizes of succulent fruits. Yuko grins broadly at them, the typical Yuko smile where you can practically feel the sunshine oozing from her lips. If Yuko had a label tag to denote her particular existence, it would have been 60% human and 40% sunshine 'cause Yuko was a girl of the sun, bathing in pools and pools of sunbeams until the stars on her skin are drowned out by the brilliance and only the milky glow of the moon remained.

"Thanks guys," she said and accepted the basket, the prominent smile on her face contagious and with that label she thought would have been a warning, stay away in case in tendency to brood. Blindingly brilliant and must approach in case of drowning in dolor.

"You're awfully fond of hospitals," Shouto said, standing on her left with a blank expression, bicoloured eyes scanning the different apparatuses hooked to her body, many which had long lost their purpose since Yuko was free to leave yesterday but a child of poverty she was, so she decided to grab the opportunity since the school was paying for the bills and the air conditioner was cool.

Yuko merely grinned at him. She was a grin personified, always grinning at everything half of the time. "I like the air conditioners," she said to which Shouto flicked her forehead for. It was an uncharacteristic action, different, like the field of a thousand white roses where you see the crimson one at the middle swaying idly with the breeze, so Yuko had to blink twice or was it thrice to make sure it was actually him.

Shouto, noticing the flummoxed expression on her face retreated his [warm] hand. "Oh, sorry," he muttered.

Yuko shook her head, their eyes meeting and she felt a surge of warmth from all over the room and a tinge of carnation pink on the boy's cheeks. She liked it. This.

Friendship was the first thaw of green leaves after snow, the first warmth in the winter wonderland and that light at the end of the tunnel you've been mindlessly wandering for ages and she whirled around the room to look at every single one of her friends- friends friends friends friends friends, Yuko liked that word- and back to Shouto.

"It's okay," she said with a smile and took his hand. She moved to Uraraka, Izuku and Iida, taking note of the expressions on their faces and how it melted to those warm smiles.

"I love you guys," she said with a smile, cornflower eyes twinkling underneath the dappled artificial light that illuminated the whole whitewashed room. "Thank you for being friends with me."

Shouto was the first to put a hand on her hair, smiling that warm smile. "You're so dramatic."

Cornflower eyes and not so perfect set of white teeth grinning in response. "I'm nothing but!"

━ × ━

"The pool?"

Plans were cancelled back and forth and Yuko can't help but feel a little disappointed at the thought that she couldn't treat her friends. Incidents were happening because of the incessant plaguing of villains and now, Yuko had more than enough money so she had no idea what to do with it.

"Yeah," Uraraka said. "You said that you had financial problems so instead of going to some beach with your family and spending lots, we can use the school pool! A lot of girls are coming so I was just curious if you were—"

"Yes!" Yuko answered, almost screeched. "Yes! Is it okay to use the school swimsuit though? I don't have a swimsuit. And I actually gained more weight so I don't look like an underfed dog anymore!"

"It's perfectly okay!" Uraraka chimes. "All the girls are wearing school swimsuits, see?"

"Nice," she intones and pulls the brunette for a hug unto which said personage replies with a pat on the back. "Even my cheeks are chubbier!"

"You're adorable." Yuko almost blushes. "See you there, okay?" Uraraka says when they're at least a feet apart and Yuko nods furiously in response.

Fast forward to the pool where half of the girls have arrived, feet dipped in the aquamarine pool water and chatting to themselves. Most of the topics were in relation to the upcoming cabin lodge trip, grades, favorite hero this and that and the remaining, the remaining was well- boys.

"Hey guys!" Yuko calls them, waving her hand furiously as she trodded towards the group of chattering girls. Underneath the strong beam of sunlight, the milky glow of her skin is even more evident. Her hair is tied into twin tails, just barely reaching her chest and she wears confidence in spades over that revealing swimming attire.

Uraraka is the first to greet her, smile as bright as the sunlight that passed through the water. Followed by Momo and a couple of other girls who are all smiling brightly.

"Oh," Mina says, gesturing Yuko to take the spot next to her and Yuko obliged. Uraraka was next to her anyway. She'd feel comfortable with her angel crush at her side. "You look cute."

"Thanks," Yuko beams brightly at them and dips her legs into the pool water too, feeling the water damp her skin. It was a nice reprieve from the heat.

"Surely that special someone will notice you," she says and slings an arm over Yuko, grinning inconspicuously. "The only question is- who is that special someone?"

"Way to be discreet, Mina," she says and tests the name. "I've had my entourage of crushes, but not really close to that"- she makes quotation marks in the air "-special someone. I reserve all my love for friends."

"Liar," Mina says and grins that weird grin that weirdly resonates with Yuko. "I mean you admitted it yourself Yuko. There must be someone you're crushing on. Someone who you want to be your"-her voice lowers to a whisper but at this close proximity, all the girls would have heard- "boyfriend."

Yuko shrugs. She's never really thought about it until now. Crushes were normal for a teenager such as herself, she had dozens of guys she was attracted to but she's never really entertained the prospect of having a boyfriend. Financial problems came first.

"I guess," she puts a finger on her chin and closes her eyes as if thinking deeply. When push came to shove, she turned things into jests. "I'm attracted to err..."

"Who? Who?" Mina chimes partnered with a lot of curious glances from the rest of her female peers. Yuko guessed that everyone had revealed theirs, and she's betting Uraraka put in Midoriya. Who was the safest bet anyway?

"Shouto, I guess?" she says and Mina's response is as lukewarm as the water that flowed from her faucet back at home. It was the most practical choice, who didn't like Shouto anyway? Even some boys probably crushed on him.

Well, except for Bakugo. Bakugo who had striking eyes, who made her laugh that laugh unlike other laughs. Who she felt heat from her body rising to her cheeks. Who- Yuko shook her head furiously. She didn't need the distraction. Especially since her classmates were being all warm and friendly.

"That's a cliché answer," the pinkette says. "Most of the girls think Todoroki is cool. And here I was expecting you'd pick someone unexpected."

The words are our of Yuko's mouth before she can recapture it. "Someone like Katsuki?" she asks unconsciously and she freezes on her tracks as she sees the sparkling anime eyes her classmates are displaying.

"How bold," Momo says and Yuko doesn't understand how the hell her cheeks are flushing red.

"I was just offering an option!" she says defending herself and Mina pulls her closer, still wearing that grin that Yuko cannot resonate with anymore. She's a furtive creature too but like all furtive creatures, she doesn't appreciate being the target.

"That's a first," she hears Hagakure say and Yuko's still shaking her head and she flashes an overly dramatic look at Uraraka who's smiling along with Tsuyu saying SOS!

"Just like I said," Yuko tries to explain but she's cut off when Iida enters the pool along with the rest of the boys, in a straight line of course and overcome with exasperation she yells at him, "Jeez! You should have come a little earlier!" That way she wouldn't have been trapped into the implication that Katsuki was the person she was hopelessly attracted to most.

"Now, now," Mina begins and Yuko thinks that if this debacle is a circus then this girl with pink for skin and hair was the ringleader. Yuko was that lion, being forced to jump over a ring of fire just to satisfy their urge to watch something interesting. "We mustn't stray from our topics. Heroes should always have a clear goal in mind and we must pursue it to the best of our abilities."

"You made that up!" Yuko yells at her face but her protest falls on deaf ears because the girls are circling closer to her. She turns to Uraraka for help but the brunette is still smiling. "Uraraka, help!"

"Uraraka's turn is done," Mina says and licks her lips. "It's your turn."

"Uraraka!" Yuko yells but her pleas are muffled by Mina's palms.

"And to think that I love you the most," she says as she tries to wriggle from three girl's grasps. "You've been demoted you beautiful, wonderful creature!"

"Oho~" Mina says. "I heard what you said a couple of days ago. From what I heard, Uraraka was first, Todoroki got third so if you're demoting her, then it means that you love Bakugou most now. Such a subtle confession."

"Stop it guys," she pleads and they don't really stop until Momo- another beautiful, wonderful angel with a blessed soul- tells them that they should be starting stretching too. Mina boos that comment but she gladly obliges and Yuko falls on the tiled floor, heaving breaths.

"Sorry about that Yuko," Uraraka says and helps her up along with Tsuyu. And she's about to hug the girl until she's choking but Tsuyu adds, "If it's any consolation, Bakugou-chan isn't here."

"What do you mean, Tsu?" Mina pipes in like a strange pink mushroom. "That means Yuko can't show off."

A couple of minutes later, Bakugou was seen entering the pool with Kirishima.

"That's definitely a lucky coincidence," Mina says, winking. "Good thing he came with Kirishima and of course to clear your suspicions, I didn't specifically told Kirishima to bring him along."

Yuko pushes her into the pool.

And amidst the incessant laughter and water splashing against tiles and humurous conversations, half dipped into the cool aquamarine water, she felt it. The slight trembling of her hand and in the murky azure reflection of the pool, a bright beaming smile.

And the rest of the remaining days blur. With Uraraka and Yuko teaming up for crappy day jobs. With Shouto and Yuko filling the days with their soft smiles and crappy jokes.

"I swear Shouto," Yuko presses on.

"No," he answers just as quickly as before. "It's unsanitary."

"It's practical," she corrects and leans on his side again, her head rested on her shoulders. "Come on, just one block or something."

"I told you," he breathes out, "I can't use my ice to make you shaved ice. It just feels wrong somehow."

"There is no right and wrong in food," Yuko stresses and Shouto sighs.

"Tell that to the people who died of food poisoning and allergies."

"Killjoy," Yuko mutters and tears himself from his side. It suddenly gets warmer and she wants to cuddle on his right side again with that ice, but screw that first, she has to convince him to let her use his ice.

"It's just wrong, okay?" he says as if she's a child throwing temper tantrums.

Yuko puffed her cheeks this time. More like a kid. "You didn't say that when we made smores with your fire."

"It's different," he says, but she scoffs and looks away and with a frustrated heave for a sigh, Shouto adds, "I'm not your personal stove slash ice maker, Yuko."

"Yeah, you're a bonfire."

"I allowed you to use it for the damned marshmallows, because you pestered me to."

"Honey," she says with a grin. "Pestered is such a strong word. 'Coerced' is more fitting."

"Yuko..."

Yuko merely responds with the scoff like the child she is, her eyes keenly watching him from her peripheral vision. "Come on," he says, soft. "I'm your bestfriend."

Shouto watches as she flinches at that and he finds himself liking the subtle glow in her face at his proclamation. "Come on, Yuko," he says, and he rests a chin on her shoulder. "You're acting like a child."

"Are you mad?" Yuko asks.

"I should be asking you that."

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

Shouto buries his nose in her shoulder and she smells like lilies and jasmine and her skin is coarse from labor, but it has its own distinct feel. Familiar and lovable. "It's okay," he whispers.

It's okay with him whenever she acts like a child. He's come to terms with it and it makes him feel like he can finally lift a portion of the burden that she carries on her back. Maybe Yuko never had the chance to be a child.

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E N D O F C H A P T E R
- s e r e n i t y

□ just for my curiosity, but who do you think suits yuko better, katsuki or shouto?