The short, adorable frog girl was standing in front of me, as a breeze came into the house, and the sky clouded over.
"Tsu-chan! Step in! You look nice."
I just blurted that last bit out without thinking. I stood aside as she stepped in, and I closed the door.
"Thank you, kero." She looked around, "You have a nice house. It's cosy, I like it."
I smiled, "Thanks! Oh, so I was thinking of a few things for us to do, and I wasn't sure what exactly to decide on, so I have a question to ask before I can fully decide. Are you more indoorsy or outdoorsy?"
She didn't hesitate to answer, not even putting her finger on her chin as she replied, "I prefer outdoors."
I nodded, "Alright then, in that case, would you like to go on a walk and then come back here for a meal? If you're into movies we can watch one if you like."
She smiled at the idea, "That sounds nice, let's do that. Where are we going?"
I put on my shoes and a jumper, as I grabbed an umbrella big enough for the two of us in case it started raining like it was earlier when I cleaned the house.
"Just to the park where we had our picnic the other day. It's too late to see the sun set, but we can see the whole city lit up, and it's just far enough away that we should be able to see some stars!"
Her eyes twinkled slightly as she held her hands behind her back. She waited as I got ready and I moved towards the door, "Ready?"
She nodded and stepped out before me as I took my wallet and phone, and closed the door behind me. We started walking down my driveway beside my garden, the fact that it had been raining was evident by the puddles that were all over the roads and running down besides the kerbs and into the sewer drains.
It wasn't raining right now, so I just held the umbrella folded up in my hand. Tsu stood beside me as we walked. I tried to think of something to talk to her about.
"So uhm... What's your favourite colour?"
She giggled a little. "You can ask me something more personal than that you know. But it's dark green." She glanced down at her dress and twirled her hair in her left index finger.
I chuckled a bit, "Makes sense. You wanna take turns?"
"Sure. What's your family like? I didn't see either of your parents at home."
I was quiet for a moment. Probably a little too long, because she ended up saying,"If it's too personal I can ask a dif-"
"No no, it's fine." I cut her off. "Sorry, I was just thinking. It's been a while since I thought about us as a family unit. My mom... A few years ago my mom passed away."
Tsu held my left arm and looked at me deeply. "I'm so sorry..."
"It's... It's alright. I've already gone through my five stages. My dad hasn't, though. He still grieves a fair bit. He's a mechanic, does a lot of contract work so he's often not at home, especially when I am. He used to be, well, a dick quite frankly. He would often say mean things to me or put me down, he didn't have a very good childhood himself. He was never really a bad person; he just had trouble expressing himself."
I paused for another moment as more clouds started rolling in as the sky was getting a little darker due to the time.
"It damaged my confidence. A lot. That along with several other factors in my life made it hard for me to get along with other people, especially when it came to meeting new people and making friends. When my mom died, we moved, ended up coming here. With my education starting to suffer and my future prospects looking grim I decided I wanted to get into the hero business. I want to help people, and there's a lot more tsunamis and earthquakes here than Ireland."
She was listening intently to everything I had to say, her expression not really changing much. Even though it was hard to read her, I could tell when she was really paying attention and caring.
"I got into U.A. and I met you and the others. It's really helped me open up, I mean, I wouldn't have dreamt about telling my life story to anyone until meeting you."
She smiled and nodded. We were halfway to the park now, when the heavens opened up. I quickly tried to get the umbrella open.
"Damn it, I was hoping it wouldn't rain!"
"Don't worry, I like the rain."
She held the palm of her hands up to the sky as water droplets landed on her hand and she made no effort to stay under the umbrella. So much for huddling up together...
"Although, these clothes aren't really waterproof. I should stay under the umbrella, shouldn't I, kero?"
Score! She stood closely to me, hugging my arm a little as I hovered the umbrella over her. I knew I was taller than her, but having her stand so close to me made me realise the exact difference.
I was around five foot six inches at that time, almost an entire head above her. If I stretched I'd be able to rest my chin on her.
"If you don't mind, I have another question, kero."
"Oh, of course, go ahead." I told her as I listened for her question.
"What happened to your mother?"
Logical question given what I'd told her so far.
"She was born ill. It was terminal, and the doctors didn't find it until it was too late. She outlived their expectations by several years, it was impressive really. It took its toll on her body eventually though."
She rested her head against my arm and wrapped her arms around mine tighter, more like a hug now.
"I'm sorry. It must be really hard to deal with something like that. Do you miss her?"
I nodded, "Sometimes. The fact we expected it made it a little less hard to deal with but it was still hard for a while."
The rain got a little heavier as we finally made it to the park. But then it occurred to me.
"Uh... We're not going to see the stars are we? It'll be too cloudy... This was a waste of time!"
She giggled, "That's not true. I got to know more about you, I think that was time well spent, kero."
A flatterer, huh? I didn't mind that at all. I smiled and blushed slightly at her, and we walked around the park for about five minutes just so it wouldn't be totally fruitless, and then started making our way back to my place again.
The rain was coming down harder now, really pelting against the umbrella as cool breezes started coming in against it. Tsu shuddered.
"I-It isn't far from your house now, is it? I'm getting c-cold and when I get cold, I get really... Sleepy..."
She said that last word with a bit of a slur and I quickly took off my jumper to give to her. I didn't want to be carrying an unconscious body around in public outside of hero work. And besides, I couldn't let my date be cold now could I?
"Here! Take this, it's insulated! And you can use me as a blanket too!"
To be honest, I got away with some dumb things, and everything just seemed to be perfectly orchestrated to help me. She put my jumper on and hugged my arm tighter, nuzzling into my shoulder for warmth.
I pulled my arm away so I could put it around her. I did so whilst looking straight ahead, trying to be smooth. I failed horribly at being smooth, but I don't think she cared. She was cold, and it wasn't anything shameful, so she was happy enough to hug into my body a little closer.
Most of my upper body at this point was stiff, I wasn't sure what to do or say. I hadn't had that much physical contact with anyone since, well, that morning when Kaminari and Kirishima had put their arms around me.
"We're almost there now, don't worry. I'll get some blankets out and you can relax and cozy up while I light a fire."
She nodded slowly against my neck, she'd gotten even closer. Her cheek was actually really cold. And I thought I got cold easily!
We soon got back and I unlocked the front door and brought her inside, she was definitely a lot slower and weaker than before. Winter must be difficult for her...
I took off my shoes and put the umbrella away as quickly as I could, virtually throwing stuff away as I tried to get things ready for her. She stood there a little dazed.
I jogged towards the stairs, underneath was a little boiler room which we also used as a storage closet where we kept things like blankets and anything that needed drying on a wet day.
I pulled out a big green blanket, light green by mistake, not because I was looking for any specifically, and ran back to her. I led her to our living room and sat her down on the couch, and unfolded the blanket for her.
I draped it over her and she grabbed a hold of it, hugging it closely.
"Thank you.... Kero..." She was almost being sucked into the couch as she relaxed her whole body into it. I quickly walked beside the fireplace where we kept a basket of wood.
I crouched down to the fireplace and threw some kindling in, and struck a match to set the kindling ablaze. The flame dwindled shortly before roaring into a fire, and I stocked it with bigger firewood.
"Do you want a warm drink? Tea perhaps?"
She perked up slightly and looked over at me. "Tea would be nice, please. No sugar."
I nodded and brewed the kettle as I thought of a movie to put on. A romance? No, too mushy. Horror? Might get her to bury her face into me. No no... That's... Wrong. I figured I'd just ask her.
I poured the boiling water into a cup and put a teabag in, and stirred the bag around a bit and let it brew a short while. I stuck my head around the corner to see if she was alright.
She was sitting upright now, more lively than before as she looked around the room. I smiled at her and went to my fridge to get milk out, and poured a little in the cup before putting it back into the fridge.
I brought the cup in, and put it on a coaster on our table that was in front of the couch. The couch was on top of a shaggy white and grey striped carpet, which covered half of the floor. The floor itself was made up of wooden planks.
She thanked me and took the tea, blowing on it before taking a sip. "This is perfect, you make good tea."
She liked it weak, I made sure to remember that. I scratched the back of my head, "Ah, it's nothing special, just a bag and some water. And milk... Oh, what sorta of movie do you want to watch?"
Putting the tip of her finger on her chin, finally fully awake again, she thought. "Do you have any anime?"
I smile widely, "Heh, just a few... Be right back."
I go upstairs to my room and take out my collection of box sets and movies and bring them downstairs for her to choose.
"Wow, you like a lot of anime. Did you watch all of these since coming to Japan?"
I shook my head vigorously, "No, I've been a fan for several years. My dad doesn't really get it but he's in Japan now so he'll understand eventually. Just like I'll eventually get him to understand internet culture."
"Trying to teach parents about anime and internet culture are some of the hardest things you'll ever do." She joked.
"Exactly, so if I can get through that, I can do anything, right? Being a hero will be a piece of cake."
She giggled and picked an anime for us to watch, and I put it on for us. I grabbed the remote and sat down beside her as she drank some more of her tea.
Very soon after I sat down she huddled up beside me.
"I'm uh... Still a bit cold."
That was a blatant lie, but I was happy to indulge her in her desire to get closer to me. This was originally supposed to be a meeting up just to get to know each other but... This was far more optimal.
It couldn't have been more perfect. Me, sitting on a couch, watching anime with a cute girl who was definitely into me at this point. It was amazing, I was so happy. I just forgot about my problems and was absorbed by the company.
I lay across the couch and she lay on top of me with the blanket over her. I was a bit warm but I wasn't about to complain and ruin it all. If this was how I was going to spend my winters in the future, I was more than happy with that.
After a little while I looked down at her, and she'd fallen asleep. 'What... What do I do now?' I thought to myself. I couldn't move, I couldn't let her stay the night, surely.
I decided to stay there a while and enjoy it, but then my father came home. Him opening and closing the door woke up Tsu, and she asked, "What time is it?"
I looked at my phone, "Wow, it's just gone ten o'clock."
My father looked into the living room at us, "Am... I intruding?"
We both shook our heads and looked at each other, a little embarrassed as it kinda looked bad from someone else's perspective.
"I gotta get home, I'll see you on Monday." She said as she started getting up.
"Hang on, you're going to walk home alone at this time of night? No way, please let me walk with you."
She looked at me, "You know we're training to become heroes right? I'll be fine don't worry, kero."
I scratched the back of my head. Really, I just wanted to spend a little more alone time with her.
"Well, uh... It would be wrong of me to just leave you without walking you to your door, wouldn't it?"
She smiled a little and nodded, "Alright, come with me then. I guess it would be good for you to know where I live if you ever want to stop by."
Success! I smiled and got myself ready. It had stopped raining by now, so I didn't bring an umbrella. Tsu then started to take my jumper off.
"It'll be colder now than it was earlier, keep it on until we get to your place."
She nodded and we left my house, and started making our way back to her place, which ended up being about fifteen minutes away.
"Alex-chan?"
"Yeah, Tsu-chan?"
"Thank you for tonight. It was really fun."
I smiled at her, glad to have been good company. "Of course! I enjoyed myself too, it was nice to get to know you more."
She giggled, "Even though it was me asking most of the questions."
I chuckled as well and continued to walk alongside her until she spoke again, touching her index fingers together.
"I... I've always found it hard to make friends. Going through school, and even here at U.A. I only have a few close friends."
I was surprised at first but after a bit of thinking, I could see how she would have struggled. It was sad because she really deserved more friends.
"But then you saved me at the entrance exam, and even after the exam you came up to me to talk to me. I felt special, you remembered me and didn't say anything mean at all, kero. And then at the picnic, you saw I was alone and came over to keep me company, and you asked me questions about myself because you really cared."
I listened to her as she opened up to me. I wondered what her point would be by the end of all this.
"And then even at the U.S.J. you really hurt yourself to protect us. Not just me, but Midoriya-chan and Mineta."
I made sure not to laugh when she didn't give Mineta the honorific.
"You saved me twice at your own expense. You spent a lot of your spare time getting to know me, kero. You really made me feel appreciated and... It really means a lot to me. I don't even know what point I'm trying to make just... Thank you for being there."
We reached her house just as she was finished telling me all this, and she stopped, turned on her feet, and wrapped her arms around my torso and hugged me tightly.
I hugged her back, and saw two younger children rubbing outside to meet her.
"Tsu-chan, Tsu-chan! You're home! Is this your boyfriend? He's tall like daddy!"
We both blushed at their questions, as an older person ran out after them. "Many apologies, Asui, they ran outside without asking..."
"It's alright, Miss Fubuki. Thank you so much for looking after them while I was out."
I was a little confused. Tsu then took out around five thousand yen and gave it to her. My eyes widened. Did she hire a babysitter just so she could spend time with me?
"Now, it's time for bed."
"Aw! We wanna hear about your date!"
I was still flabbergasted at what she'd done, and eventually snapped out of it. "T-Tsu, I didn't know you had to hire a babysitter, I'm sorry!"
She turned and smiled, tilting her head, "It's ok, really. I had a great time."
I shook my head, "Next time we hang out I'm coming to yours, I can't have you spend that sort of money just to spend time with me. And besides, how else will I get to know these two little guys?"
I crouched down as they came up to me, "Are you gonna to marry Onee-chan?"
Tsu called them over and told them to stop bothering me, obviously embarrassed.
"Hey uhm... Mind if I get your number? I might arrange something with the others in our class and I can text you about it if you're up fo-"
"Yes." She instantly got her phone out so we could exchange numbers.
I was a little surprised at her willingness and how fast she was to get her phone out. I told her my number and she told me hers.
"Well then, I'll leave you be. Goodnight, Tsu-chan."
She looked back at her siblings that were staring at us from inside. It must not have been a friendly look as they quickly ran away into another room.
She turned back to me and quickly pecked me on the cheek. I froze.
"Good night, Alex-chan."
She went inside and smiled at me, waving as she closed the door. I waved slightly, still frozen up a little. I processed what the actual hell just happened and wondered if I'd have to meet her parents soon.
I blinked a few times at the thought. I started walking home but wondered if now would be a good time for some quirk training, especially since we were going to have the Sports Festival in two weeks. We were a little under a kilometre and a half from my house, that would be fifteen blinks, as I liked to call them.
I knew I could cope with that, especially since I was hyper after being kissed. I breathed in a few times and started, zipping around down the path, facing the wrong way, going backwards towards my house.
I made it back without much trouble, and let myself back in. What a night.
{A/N: So I made it in the end! In fact, this turned out to be by far the biggest chapter yet! I'm going to be straight with you guys, but I've never actually been on a date so I have no idea if this is accurate... Hopefully it was at least a little bit. Hope you enjoyed, and I'm uploading this a bit early because I'm going to be busy later. See you tomorrow!}