She wanted to argue. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. But, if that made her grandmother at ease, Sora had to oblige. She thought as she stood before the door of Yuu's house, not really wanting to knock.
Yuu's parents were, good neighbors. If anything, they were kind to her and her grandmother on more than one occasion. They weren't very bad parents, Sora had to admit. Yuu was never lacking in any way as he grew up. If she had to be frank, his clothes were way fancier than hers. And when they were kids, his mother put so much thought into his outfit and appearance. Their only flaw, was that they could never live with Yuu's abilities.
Sora's eyes widened when the door opened, revealing her childhood friend. " Why are standing out there?"
" Nothing, really." She smiled as she crossed the threshold. Soon, Yuu's mother, Haruka, came up to welcome her. She had purple curly hair which she fastened into a low ponytail and very thick round glasses that made it all but impossible to see her brown eyes hidden behind them.
" Good afternoon, Shirogane-san. It's been a while." Her smile was genuine.
" It's been a while. Thanks for helping Grandma and sorry for the troubles I caused. I seem to have forgotten my phone at the house today."
" Don't mention it. I've prepped the bath already, you can clean up and join us for dinner, it's almost ready."
" Thanks." Sora bowed again and heaved a sigh as soon as the woman turned away. Every time she was face to face with Yuu's mother, she had a feeling she was X-raying her, trying to find any fault with her to correct.
" I can take your bag to your room, make yourself at home." Yuu smiled as he took the bag off her hand and offered her some indoor shoes.
After showering and changing into more comfortable clothes, she joined Yuu and his parents at the table. Haruka had ladened its surface with different meals for their guest. " You didn't have to."
" It was nothing." The older woman smiled as she sat down and all four of them began eating, occasionally talking about school and stuff, though mostly with Sora. The girl sweated, the atmosphere of Yuu's house was always so thick she could cut it with a knife.
" Oh right, we still didn't congratulate you for taking 3rd place during the sports festival. You put a good fight, your Quirk is so outstanding," said the father, a dirty blond-haired middle-aged man with sharp purple eyes and a well-built body. " Yuu on the other side-"
Sora put down her knife and fork at that moment. Yuu's parents were nice people. They really really were. But their only flaw was that they will never come to terms with the Quirk bestowed on him. Whether they feared it or felt ashamed of it, she didn't know. But they wanted it gone, probably out of goodwill for their son to be normal, she wanted to believe. Still, no matter how nice and kind they were, she could never allow them to snub her friend, at least, not while in front of her.
Inhaling deeply, she put on the best smile she could muster. " It's all thanks to your son. Because Yuu worked hard in the previous match and allowed us to keep our points, I was able to get that. I can't begin to thank him enough. That third place is for both of us." She feigned checking the time on the clock mounted on the wall. " Oh my, I better get some work on my English homework. If you'll excuse me. Thank you for the meal." She bowed her head and left the table with her plate.
________________
That night, Yuu knocked on her door and peeked inside just as he was about to turn in, checking on her. The last thing he had expected was to find her wrapped in a blanket and her eyes all swelling and red.
" Are you alright? Were you crying?" He said walking in and sitting down on the side of the bed, concerned and worried seeing her like that. Sora laughed awkwardly and she snuggled inside the nest she made of the blanket.
" Not really... well, yeah, I was crying... I felt, so stupid."
" Want to talk about it?" He asked rubbing her back, hoping it would comfort her even if a little.
Sora looked at the floor for a couple seconds before she finally opened her mouth. " I just... I feel stupid for having left my phone at home today. What if... what if when your parents were trying to reach to me, what if there was something I was able to do back then? What if it was Grandma who was calling for help, then I wouldn't be able to know. Then I wouldn't be able to help. Then, I would have been late..." She clutched the duvet tighter around herself. "This rumbling does sound stupid, right?"
Yuu shook his head. " You're just overthinking."
Sora laughed. " Maybe you're right. It's just, Grandma is the only family I have and... the thought of me probably losing her because I couldn't answer a distress call from her really upset me. I'm a hero in training, right? Not being able to help my own family would suck." She wiped her tears on the brim of the duvet. " Enough talking about me, what have you done about your parents and the notice?"
" They said they would be busy, as per usual." Yuu heaved a sigh at that.
" Those guys, I really wonder if they would ever spare any time for you. They didn't even attend your graduation," Whisper groaned, phasing head first from the ceiling and looking at them while still suspended upside down, half his body still in the attic.
" Because they didn't approve of me attending UA in the first place. They were still upset that I turned down the business school exam they wanted me to take."
" They sure like to chart out your life don't they." Whisper began listing. " Don't use your Quirk at home, no talking about spirits, no spirits allowed at home, no talking to spirits out in the street or in public... that's too much. They basically want you to not use your Quirk at all!" He threw his hands in frustration. " It's like they think your Quirk will disappear if you just stop using it!"
" Well, as a matter of fact, there's a theory-"
" I don't care about theories, soldier!" Whisper swooshed over to him, glaring him up and down. " All I care about is that you use your Quirk as much as you can to build it and become a strong hero, understood?"
" Sir! Yes sir!"
Sora sniggered at their conversation. " You know, having Whisper as a roommate sounds really fun. Either way, I already told Grandma about the situation. She said she would be happy to fill in for your parents if they couldn't come."
" But..." Yuu began yet Sora held up her hand in front of him.
" Don't you worry, she will call Aizawa-sensei beforehand and inform him. And will also be telling your parents about what will happen at the event, so no need to think too much about it, okay." After all, Yuu was a part of her family and he will always be, so it was only natural for her grandmother to be there for him as well.
" Thank you, Sora." The boy was really grateful for the kind offer by the girl and her grandmother. Sora's sole answer was a broad warm smile.
" Alright, we've got school tomorrow so we better turn in for tonight. Not want to be scolded by Iida-kun for showing up late."
" Nope, definitely not."
The girl bobbed her head in agreement before she laid down on her futon, rolling in her duvet. " Goodnight Yuu."
" Goodnight Sora."
And the lights were out.