a/n: sorry for the late (and kinda bad) upload! i've been busy with school and the hurricane that just hit, lol
but as always, thank you all for reading, i really appreciate it <3
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"Wait, Hitoshi—" Valui spun around in the kitchen doorway she was standing under. She had finished eating and was about to go upstairs to change when a realization had dawned on her. "I don't have clothes."
Hitoshi looked up from his own breakfast at her. "Oh. My mom washed your clothes." He paused, then added, "You can also wear some of mine, if you'd rather do that."
Valui's face turned a light shade of pink and she bit back a smile. Hitoshi probably picked up on that; he smirked lightly at her before going back to eating. She turned back around and started walking again, making her way easily back up the stairs and into Hitoshi's room. The clothes she had worn the day before were washed and folded on his bed; but she didn't move toward them.
She went to the closet.
Valui smiled to herself as she shifted through the shirts that were hanging up in the closet. She stopped when she found a shirt she liked — a superhero one — and pulled it off its hanger. She went back to the bed and got dressed, pulling on her shorts and bra from the day before, and then the shirt she got from the closet. Once Valui was fully dressed, she plopped herself onto the ground next to where her shoes had been placed.
I'll have to thank his mom later.
Valui finished tying her shoes and stood up with a bounce. With a small breath, she made her way back down the stairs to find Hitoshi. She had just rounded the corner to go back into the kitchen when voices stopped her — specifically voices talking about her.
"So how long have you two been dating?"
"Officially?"
"Oho, so something happened before it was official?"
"W-well, um—"
"Aww, Hitoshi you're turning red~"
Valui peered around the wall. Hitoshi was leaning against a wall, looking away from his mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table. His face was red, but when he caught sight of Valui, the blush on his face dissipated and he smiled instead. He stood up straight off the wall and went over to her, looking over his shoulder toward his mother and saying, "Hey, we're gonna go now."
As Hitoshi wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, Valui saw his mom lean over the table to smile and wave at her. "Have fun~!"
The two waved back before Hitoshi led Valui to the front door and outside onto the sidewalk in front of his house. He looked down to her, a content expression on his face. "So, where do you want to go?"
Valui thought for a moment, then looked up at met his eyes with a sheepish smile. "I don't know. Anywhere is fine as long as I'm with you."
Hitoshi turned red again; he looked away, but Valui could still see a corner of his mouth threatening to turn up in a smile. When he looked back at her, he just smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You're adorable."
Valui hummed happily, moving closer to him as he started leading her away from his house. She was comfortable in the silence between them — and it was obvious Hitoshi was as well. Her eyes drifted around as they walked, absentmindedly taking in the scenery around them. It was probably close to noon, so a number of people were out and doing whatever it was they needed to do; it didn't look much different from how her neighborhood did at this time of day.
The brief thought of her own neighborhood, which brought thoughts of her own house and parents with it, sent a pang of hurt into her chest.
I'll never be able to go back, will I?
Somehow, the pain of that seemed almost nonexistent when Hitoshi pulled her closer to him.
Valui blinked and brought herself back to reality when she noticed they were at the train station. She gazed up at Hitoshi as he led her aboard. "Where are we going?" It wasn't that she was worried — she trusted him more than anyone else, after all — but she was definitely curious.
Hitoshi didn't look down at her; instead, he kept his eyes forward as he weaved them through a small crowd of people. "Shopping center," he answered, the grip on her shoulders getting tighter as he got them to a pair of seats next to a window. "I figured there'd be something there to do."
Valui sat down on the inside, next to the window. When Hitoshi sat down next to her, her arms immediately wrapped around one of his; her head leaned itself against his shoulder. She didn't see his reaction, but she felt him kiss her head. It brought a smile to her face while it made her attempt to get closer to him.
I love you.
Since she had woken up, the thought had stayed ever present in her mind. There were moments where it had shifted to the back of her brain, only to be brought forward again by small moments like these. She wasn't sure if it was because she recently had to face the fact that having a Quirk doesn't make you invincible or because of the previous night, but Valui had found herself paying more attention; remembering little things that she otherwise would have looked over; wanting to spend every moment possible by his side.
But it wasn't like Hitoshi was acting any differently than she was.
"Hey, Valui." His voice made her lift her head up to look at him. "It might be a little early to ask, but would you want to eat somewhere later, too?"
Valui smiled, which Hitoshi returned, as nodded. "Uh-huh. I would."
She laid her head down as the train started moving. Her head tilted itself in a way so that she could look out the window, eyes watching the city fly by as they left it.
"Oh, and Valui?"
Valui didn't move her head, but she did meet Hitoshi's eyes in their reflection in the window. "Yeah?"
"You look cute when you wear my clothes."
A pout immediately formed on her lips; a dark shade of red did the same to her cheeks. She sunk down, pulling the shirt up enough to cover her mouth. She held it there as she spoke, nervous words tumbling into the air around them before she lost the courage.
"I-I like wearing your clothes."
Hitoshi smiled and patted her head with his free hand. "I can tell." When Valui sunk down more, his smile softened. "But it's cute. That's why I keep— keep offering."
His voice faltered.
It made Valui smile faintly.
They fell silent; she sat up again, returning her gaze back out the window. It was surreal how peaceful she felt — for the past few weeks, her life had been more chaotic than it had been her entire life. It was a genuine wonder how Valui — scared, weak, helpless little Valui — hasn't succumbed to it all; how she hadn't given up in the face of the unfairly copious amounts of adversity she had been dealt. Thinking back on it all made her head spin, like it hadn't really happened and that it had all just been one very long dream — which made more sense in her mind than it all being her reality. She was prone to nightmares as a result of her overactive anxiety; horrible, horrible things usually happened in her dreams. Nothing this bad — getting kidnapped, her father dying, her mother all but disowning her — ever happened in her boring, uneventful life. So, logically, everything had to be a dream.
But then wouldn't you be a dream, too?
"Hey, Hitoshi?"
She was speaking without realizing it.
"Hm?"
"Am I dreaming?"
When she felt Hitoshi move, Valui tilted her head up to meet his eyes. He looked confused, and maybe a bit worried, before his expression went back to neutral. "No, you're awake."
"Are you sure?" Before he could even begin to answer, Valui had shifted herself around. She let go of his arm and turned her body to face him, sitting on her knees with her hands on his leg to keep herself propped up. "Prove it. Pinch me."
I have to know you're real.
"Valui, you're awake, I—"
"Please?"
You have to be real.
Hitoshi rolled his eyes, though there was an underlying hint of amusement in them. "Fine, whatever you want." He reached over and pinched her cheek; not hard enough to really hurt, but hard enough to where it satisfied her. "Happy?"
The feeling calmed her down — mentally, emotionally, and physically. It was stupid, now that she was thinking rationally, to think that everything had been a dream when it was all too real. Valui sat back down, leaning against Hitoshi and looking to her dangling feet. "Sorry," she started, though she wasn't really sure if this was something she needed to apologize for. "I...overthink a lot. I got scared you, uh..." A nervous, awkward laugh escaped her. "I got scared you weren't real."
What she was expected was an amused laugh; a hand ruffling her hair; a teasing comment that still made her feel better. What she wasn't expecting was silence; a hand finding and gripping hers; a soft comment that held an undertone of pain to it.
"I don't think I've stopped feeling that way since I met you."
"H-huh?" Valui turned her head, but Hitoshi wasn't looking at her. He was staring down at her hand, running his thumb over it so lightly it almost tickled.
"It wasn't that bad until this morning. God, I was so scared of it all— of you being a dream that I tried to go back to sleep."
A time from what felt like ages ago, where Hitoshi had offhandedly mentioned not being able to sleep, resurfaced in her mind as he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it.
"I've...never wanted to go back to sleep before."