Chapter Text
Tuna, chicken, turkey, salmon—could cats tell the difference between tuna and salmon? Shinsou held up a can of catfood, pursing his lips. There were so many different brands all with a million different flavours. Shinsou had no idea what to worry about or what to really look out for in picking out food.
He stared intently at the shelves and tried to compare them with the can in his hand.
Every cat liked tuna, right?
He should just go with the tuna can.
His eyes slid down to the price stickers.
Great. Were there even differences between the 100 yen and 150 yen cans? Shinsou wasn’t strapped for cash that week, so presumably he could get either or both. Would it be overkill if he got both? Were there other people feeding the cat?
He sighed and his shoulders slumped.
He supposed he could come back and get a new can the next day.
He let out a grumble before remembering that he was in public.
Shinsou looked up quickly to see the shop owner behind the counter looking back at him. He was dressed in his hero suit, just about to go on shift, but because he was mostly an underground hero, patrolling at night, he wasn’t very well known. He could almost feel the suspicion radiating off the shop owner as he bore holes into the two cans of cat food in his hands. He had been standing there for at least 5 full minutes already, his voice mask hanging off his arm and his capture scarf around his face, helping him bury the ashamed look on his face.
Maybe he could ask the owner for a cat food can opinion.
He looked around the shop and glanced at the owner again, but froze just a step in.
What if the owner didn’t have a cat? What if his line of questioning just led the owner to believe that Shinsou was distracting him in order to rob him? Did other people overthink everything this much?
Suspicious looks weren’t out of the norm for him, but that didn’t mean they didn’t sting.
Shinsou sighed heavily and frowned when he heard the store’s door open and close quickly to let another customer in. He heard some heavy boots hit the ground, but they didn’t sound like the type gait that he should be concerned with as a hero. At this point, 5 years working in the underground scene, he knew what the walk of those trying to rob a store sounded like. This just sounded like someone was wearing heavy boots, but trying to… almost… dance around in them.
He looked up and over the shelves. He already towered over most people, so the short shelves of this store weren’t a problem, but he didn’t see anyone in direct eye line.
He shrugged and assumed it must be some child jumping around, picking out a nighttime snack.
He went back to fussing over the two cans he was holding when his eye caught on another can on the shelf.
This one was tuna in water. Formulated especially for cats apparently.
What were the other cans formulated for then?
Pushing the errant thought out of his mind, he focused on the food again. He didn’t know if the cat was getting water, so maybe this was the best option.
At this point, he was holding three cans of cat food trying to read the ingredients on all of them and wracking his brain for what he remembered from all the cat cafes he visted. He was focusing hard enough that he missed the boots come up and stop beside him while the owner let out an audible gasp.
“Shinsou?” a soothing, feminine voice called out.
Dazed at someone actually recognizing him, he warily looked up from his hands only to be met with a set of deep chocolate eyes reminding him that he neglected to make a proper meal for himself before setting out for the night. Maybe he should pick up a bar of chocolate to snack on.
He blinked in recognition at the short young woman beside him in her pink, white, and black hero suit giving him a wide grin and waving a hand politely.
“Uraraka,” he said with a small bow.
“Wow, can’t believe you remember me! It’s been like 5 years, right?” she smiled and stepped closer to him.
He shrugged at her words. “You’re the number 10 hero. Why wouldn’t I recognize you?” he said plainly.
He did more than remember her, in fact. He’d watched most of her rescues on TV and kept up with her career trajectory. He couldn’t help it, she always had a smile—even in the face of natural disasters and villains.
He knew that it might just have been her quirk, but anytime he saw her in action, he just felt lighter. He was amazed but not surprised at her quick rise through the ranks —just one among a few others from their class at UA. He had only transferred in during their second year, but he remembered how friendly she had been in accepting him into her friend group.
Of course, wary of other people, Shinsou tried to keep everyone at a distance, and subsequently, after graduation, everyone kept him at a distance.
“Yeah… but I mean… I’m off duty right now even though I’m still in the suit,” she said sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck and looking at the cans in his hands. “Do you have a cat too?” she asked, nodding at his hands.
Too? So she had a cat?
“Oh… no. I found a stray in the park nearby,” he said quietly. “I know you’re not supposed to encourage them with food or anything, but my building doesn’t allow pets…” his finished, his eyes reflected his nervousness.
Uraraka’s eyes sparkled and widened at his words as a single finger came up to her mouth, signaling a hush. “I won’t tell, don’t worry. Do you… umm… need help choosing a cat food?” she asked.
Shinsou sighed, “If you don’t mind.” He turned toward her and showed her the three options he was holding. “Underground heroes don’t make much money, and I don’t know if anyone else is taking care of Catamari, so I couldn’t decide between the fancy stuff, or the stuff with water, or the stuff with these added nutrients…”
Uraraka grinned before responding, “Catamari? Like after the squid or the game with the ball?”
Shinsou raised an eyebrow at her recognition of one of his favourite unwinding games. “Both.”
Uraraka let out a small laugh, and Shinsou was taken aback by just how sweet it sounded. He had heard her laugh before, of course, they spent enough time together 5 years ago, but clearly, he had forgotten the feeling of being surrounded by her joy. That, or he was just getting increasingly lonely and failing to convince himself about how much he wanted other people in his life.
“I don’t know if you ever knew, but I grew up kinda poor, so I know a thing or two about living on a budget. I still send money home to my parents, so even number 10 salary isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be for me,” Uraraka said softly as she turned back to the shelf and seemed to find a brand she recognized. “This one’s what I get for Kit. It’s a tiny bit more expensive than the 100yen one, but not as much as these other ones. It’s also in liquid so you know Catamari is gonna be ok even if they don’t find any water nearby,” she told him, handing him a can, taking all the other ones off his hands to reshelve.
He noted that she picked out the tuna flavour.
“Kit? Kit...Kat?” he asked, with an amused glint in his lavender eyes, the edges of his lips curling up.
A small blush rose up Uraraka’s face as she nodded. “I like sweets and chocolate!” she proclaimed in defense.
The smile he was trying to hold back escaped, and he let out a small chuckle. “Me too.”
They walked down the next aisle together so Uraraka could pick up a bento, and they moved to the counter to pay. Shinsou noticed the shopkeeper feel more at ease with Uraraka beside him.
“Good to see you again, Uravity,” the middle aged man behind the counter said as his eyes flickered up briefly to Shinsou.
“You too, Mr. Nakamura! Your kids keepin’ ya busy lately?” she made conversation with ease.
The shopkeeper laughed. “Teenagers. One of them is tryin’ to get into UA.”
Uraraka clapped and bounced on her feet slightly. “Both of us went to UA,” she said, gesturing to Shinsou and herself.
“Yer a hero too?” he gruffed at Shinsou once Uraraka’s transaction was complete.
“Uhh, yea. Night shift kind,” Shinsou mumbled restlessly.
The shopkeeper grunted in acknowledgement and his eyes raked over Shinsou’s much taller form. Shinsou couldn’t help but straighten up under the man’s gaze.
“Night time needs heroes too,” the man grumbled and handed them their bags.
Subconsciously walking beside each other like they’d come to the store together, they exited and Shinsou tugged his capture scarf a little tighter around him as protection from the brisk night air.
He glanced down at her and felt his teenage awkwardness overtake him. Was he just supposed to say goodbye? She did help him pick out cat food, so it felt right to introduce her to Catamari. Would she think it was creepy if he just invited her to the where he usually sees the cat?
He bit his lip in anxious thought. He didn’t even have that much time before the start of his shift. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to not to stare at Uraraka.
How did people hold conversations again?
“I was just comin’ off my shift,” Uraraka said, as if reading his overcrowded mind and gesturing to her suit. “I’d love to meet Catamari sometime, but I really need a shower.”
Shinsou blinked slowly, understanding where the conversation was going. “Uhh, yeah. Next time,” he offered without thinking.
Instantly, he froze. What if she was just being nice and she didn’t actually want there to be a next time? After all, they hadn’t spoken in years before tonight.
Uraraka gave him an open and endearing smile. “Yeah! Here, give me your number so that we can coordinate!” she said, giving him her phone. He noticed that she’d upgraded to a mid-range smartphone with her pro-salary.
Before he could overthink it, he quickly entered his number and almost shoved the phone back into Uraraka’s hands.
“Great! I’ll text you! Maybe you can meet Kit sometime too!” she said, grinning and waving as she walked away. “Have a good night!”
Shinsou waved awkwardly and stood confused at the spot where she left him for longer than he would have cared to admit.
What the fuck just happened?