Cosmic Love

No Place Like (Someone Else's) Home

     As Matthew and Yamaoka continued chatting, the door to the café opened. Ito stepped inside and promptly made her way over to the pair, Miboujin lazily trailing behind her. Hado followed soon after, sheepishly looking about the shop for a means of avoiding the (inevitably awkward) scene Ito was about to make. "Oh! What a surprise! Matthew and Yamaoka! Never woulda guessed you two were here, together, at a café! Totes crazy of a coincidence, amirite?" Ito's tone was laced with mock surprise, Miboujin and Hado hiding their faces in embarrassment. Matthew understood exactly what she was after, Hado's presence cluing him in to what she was trying to do.

     "Right... Yamaoka was just treating me to a drink because she felt bad about earlier today. Nothing much, we were just talking."

     "D'awe, how sweet! How about we join you? We're already here after all, there's a table we could pull up too!" Ito grabbed an empty table and its chairs and lined them up, creating enough space for everyone. "C'mon c'mon, let's get something to drink!" Ito pulled out a chair next to Matthew and ushered Hado into it, grabbing Miboujin and walking off towards the barista. Hado hid her face in her hands and groaned, Yamaoka and Matthew still processing the whole interaction. Yamaoka pointed behind herself at Ito and Miboujin (the former of which staring at them over her shoulder), pitching an eyebrow at Hado.

     "What's up with Ito? She seems... tense." Hado removed her face from her hands, sighing in exasperation.

     "I'm sorry about those two, mostly Ito. We were just getting ramen across the street when she saw you two in here and assumed you were on a date, and she ended up dragging Miboujin and I along to 'investigate.'" Matthew sighed, shaking his head.

     "Figures. God forbid a guy and a girl do anything together, much less be friends." Hado and Yamaoka laughed, Hado's face starting to flush red at the same time. Matthew's joke felt like a bad omen, even if it was innocent. Of course, she couldn't tell Matthew who he could and couldn't be friends with, but did it have to be with a girl? She didn't like the idea of competition, even if it was just her being paranoid. What was she thinking? The two just talked for the first time today, there's no reason she should worry. Why should she worry anyway? She's not chasing him either way, so what does it matter if Matthew and Yamaoka end up...

     Hado shivered in her seat, the shock breaking her free from her spiral. She turned to Matthew to start a conversation, only he was in the middle of talking with Yamaoka. Maybe Ito was right... No! Hado was friends with Togata and Amajiki and yet Matthew wouldn't care if she was alone with them, what gives her the right to care about his friendships with other classmates? Hado fell right into another spiral, opting to silently watch the foot traffic outside as Matthew and Yamaoka continued talking.

     "Say, Hado..." Yamaoka turned her attention to Hado, who was still staring at the storefront.

     "Hm? O-oh, sorry Yamaoka. Do you need something?"

     "I'm sorry, I just wanted to learn a little more about you. We haven't really talked all that much, and I'd feel bad if you were to just sit here quietly."

     "Erm- Well..." Hado felt weird about talking to Yamaoka, as if there was a one-sided competition between the two. She was definitely going to have to sort that out, she couldn't see herself being the kind of jealous friend to get between two people. "I'm a pretty simple person, there's not really much to say... I like going on runs often?"

     "That's nice, is it to train your quirk? Or is it more for basic exercise?"

     "Kind of both, my quirk requires that I have high stamina. I also just like keeping in shape though, there's plenty to see around Musutafu as well."