✱𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐑/ ᵇ. ᵏᵃᵗˢᵘᵏⁱ

SHELVES

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SHE LEANED AGAINST THE WOOD OF THE BOOKSHELVES, RESTING HER ELBOW ON A PILE OF BOOKS THAT HAD BEEN PLACED ON THE FLOOR. Her bare thighs felt cool against the hardwood floor she sat on and gave her some form of temporary relief against the heat from the outside. The air conditioning had broken a few hours ago, but only on the second floor, conveniently where all her old books were. Humidity was never good for paper, especially old paper. Yet, all she could do then was wait for the repairmen to fix everything right up. In the background, she could hear her furious grandmother shouting at the phone and she could only silently pray for the person on the other end. With a soft sigh, she went back to reading the book, hoping she could distract herself from the immense heat.

A red, hazy figure appeared beside her, holding his own copy of the book. Per usual, his face was obscured, only a bright crimson in its stead. Her eyes shut and she immersed herself in the sound of his voice- "Hey, you." How odd. Hadn't they left on something about heroes? "Are you listening?" Was this some form of flashback? All Might definitely wasn't a good writer if this was how his autobiography was being written. "Hey!" Who was she kidding? It was All Might. He was a hero, not an author. "Are you dead or something?!" Her eyes shot open as she was tugged forward by the collar of her shirt, breath caught in her throat. The red figure had disappeared and in its stead was the same blond from a few days prior.

She had been seeing him a lot more recently ever since the day he had come in with his friends. Truth be told, she had talked to him during those brief moments in time whether it be checking out the books he bought or directed him to a certain section of the store. "What the hell were you doing on the floor like that?" he growled, letting go of her shirt before standing up, giving her a hand she could pull herself up with. "Huh?" "It looked like you were passed out!" She tilted her head to the side; she could've sworn she had just been reading when he had appeared. "I didn't..." she stopped herself briefly to check her watch, eyes going wide when she found she had indeed passed out. Almost half-an-hour had passed since she had started reading but it had only felt like a few seconds.

"I...guess I did. Sorry about that, sir." The blond scowled and turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets as she stared silently at his demeanor. "Just call me Katsuki, dammit." Her brow raised as she straightened out her uniform, "isn't that your first name, though?" She got no response. (y/n) gave a half-smile and reached down, grabbing her book. Thankfully she hadn't lost her place. As she slid the book into her apron pocket, she turned and found Bakugo scanning the shelves, pulling out a book about All Might. Her eyes ran over the blond's much calmer figure, lingering on his sharp jaw for slightly longer. His red eyes shot to the side, met her gaze, and went back to looking at the books, a soft pink blossoming at the tips of his ears. She blew a stray lock of hair from her face and leaned over his shoulder, chuckling at the book he had chosen; he seemed so...attached to it. As if he had read it thousands of times before.

"Have you read this before?" Bakugo found himself scowling, "got a problem with that?" (y/n) rolled her eyes playfully and took the book from his calloused hands, their fingers brushing as she did so. Bakugo gulped silently at the feeling of his body heating up while he turned his head slightly to watch her with a knot in his brow. "No, not at all," she whispered as her quirk activated and made the book's pages flash a similar color red to the figure she'd see when she read the other book, "it looks like a good book." Bakugo watched her flip through and then close it, handing it to him afterward. "Are you going to buy it? It's the only copy we have, I think," she said while glancing over the other books nearby. He shook his head while looking over the cover fondly, "No... I'm looking for something else."

She hummed and glanced over her shoulder at the sound of a bell and her grandmother's voice. "Well, in that case, what can I help you find today?" Bakugo pulled out his phone to show her the title of some review book for algebra which she had seen on the shelves on the first floor by the entrance. A crease formed in her brow; Bakugo had come here many times over the course of a few weeks whether to just look at the books, read them, or buy them. By now, wouldn't he have known the basic floor plan of the bookshop? If what he wanted was on the first floor, why would he go to the clearly marked 'pre-owned books' section on the second floor? The last time she checked, buying a pre-owned review book wasn't very helpful since most people would fill them out.

"Follow me then," she mustered out, making her way to the front of the store and passing a few repairmen. "(y/n), are you okay, doll?" Her grandmother stood in front of her pulling her face into her wrinkled hands, "your face is all pink! Did the heat get to you?" She froze in the older woman's grasp before nodding, "just a bit. I'll grab some water after I grab this book." Her grandmother looked taken aback and moved her hands to the younger girl's shoulders, "nonsense! Go to the back and take a five-minute break." The older Aimoto looked over her granddaughter's shoulder, finding a silent Bakugo, "I'll take care of this dashing young man! I'm sure your friend will understand."

The blond and the (h/c) haired girl looked at each other, surprised by the word 'friend'. Is that what they were? Bakugo tore his eyes away from her, "we're not friends you old hag-" "Oh, look at him. What a charming boy you are! Let me get that book for you!" (y/n) watched as her grandmother took him by the arm, making him wriggle furiously in her grasp. As he was dragged away, she held back a laugh and made her way to the back of the store. She was surprised to see how quickly her grandmother had gotten attached to him. Then again, she had always told her that a man with spunk was a man that would fight for the woman he loved. Even though she had always insisted that love just wasn't for her, her grandmother never ceased to leave little suggestions for her in the case that she "fell for a sharp young man". From her spot in the back of the shop, she could still hear his voice mixed with her grandmother's.

"LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE GETTING ALONG QUITE NICE..."

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