Third person pov

"Hey, Lillian." A familiar voice called, drawing the girl from her thoughts. The school day had ended, and she was getting ready to walk home. She had rushed out before anyone else in a desperate attempt to get a head start on Bakugo so she wouldn't have to silently suffer through his misplaced anger and odd need to carry her bag for her. The whole thing was just tense and awkward, and she found herself not liking it all that much.

"S-Shinso!" She exclaimed, blinking. She hadn't ever run into him leaving before, but she supposed that just meant she usually left later than he did most days. He also looked surprised to see her, and he glanced at the route she'd been about to take before his eyes shifted over to her again.

"You live that way?" He asked, sounding a little confused. Blinking, Lillian nodded. She hadn't ever seen Shinso on her way home, but then again, she really hadn't been looking. Bakugo always took most of her attention. And her bag. A part of her was afraid he'd accidentally blow it up one of these days. That was the last thing she needed.

"I do too. Want to walk with me?" He asked, and Lillian could have fallen over from the immense amount of relief she felt. If she walked home with Shinso, then maybe it would discourage Bakugo from approaching her. Plus, she liked Shinso! He was great company. That, and he was so calm. She'd never seen him lose his temper. Not that she'd hung out with him all that many times, that is, but he just seemed so... calm and level.

"O-Of course!" She lit up, and he offered a small grin, nodding. Lillian was careful not to walk too close to him, but she was also very careful not to walk too far either. They fell into a pleasant silence as they started down the sidewalk, Lillian keeping her eyes glued to the cement, and Shinso keeping his gaze forward; though, he did steal the occasional glance at her.

"Do you live near the school?" He asked eventually. She blinked, looking up at him curiously.

"Y-Yeah, just on Rikidai street." She smiled a nervous smile. "H-Housing up here is surprisingly cheap."

Shinso looked taken aback. For a moment, Lillian thought maybe she'd offended him, but then he spoke up again. "I live just around the corner." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck in a nearly nervous fashion. Lillian jolted slightly at the admission, her mouth forming an O. 

"R-Really? I've never seen you before." She gazed up at him with big eyes.

"I don't get out that much." He chuckled. "I don't sleep much either, so I always end up leaving earlier than normal."

"I-I don't get out much either." Lillian realized with a small smile. "It's... i-it's weird how we haven't ever run into each other, isn't it? I-I mean, I think so, that is." She rushed the last part out. Casual conversation was something she still wasn't all that accustomed to. Shinso didn't look offended by her words, though, which made her relax slightly.

"I guess that just goes to show that we should get out more. Maybe we could have been friends sooner." He joked a little, but seemed mildly serious. 

"I wish." Lillian muttered, to which he raised an eyebrow. She immediately became flustered. "Ah, I mean- I just uh... I-I never really had friends b-before UA."

"Me either. A lot of people are... scared of my quirk, even now. I'm actually pretty sure you're the only person I can call a friend, at this point." He snorted slightly, and Lillian frowned. Shinso's quirk really wasn't all that scary? Her quirk could just as easily be a villain's quirk. Was it because his dealt with the mind? Because it was so controlling? She didn't really get it.

"I think that's dumb." She muttered, scuffing the ground with her shoe. "I-I mean, your quirk is really cool, a-and super powerful. A-And you said you wanted to be a h-hero... a-and you go to a hero school, so why..." She trailed off with a small huff, and Shinso couldn't help but feel a little touched at her words. Lillian was a meek and shy person, but she got it, and he was glad. 

"That's my house." He stopped, nodding towards it. "But I don't mind walking with you towards yours." 

Her cheeks went red. "O-Oh, no! It's alright! I-I don't want to be any t-trouble!" She squeaked out, gazing at Shinso's house. It was such a nice home, with a flowerbed out front. It seemed a little run over with weeds, but was beautiful nonetheless. The rest of the lawn was extremely well-kept, and the driveway seemed almost too clean.

"I don't mind." Shinso shrugged as though it were no big deal, which made Lillian feel a little better. Still, she opened her mouth to try and protest, but was cut off before she could.

"Hitoshi? Who's this?" 

Shinso flinched, eyes flitting to his home. Lillian followed his gaze to see a woman with long, light blue hair gazing at them from the doorway to Shinso's home. She had purple eyes just like him, and was gazing at Lillian with a curious expression on her face. Lillian immediately tensed up, her cheeks flaring, and her eyes going wide. She looked to Shinso for help.

"Hey mom." He grumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "Ah... This is Lillian. She's a... friend from school?"

Lillian gave a nod of encouragement and a thumbs up at his questioning look, and he gave a nod back, his eyes apologetic. Lillian didn't want him to feel bad. God, her parents would be so, so much worse. They'd probably drag him into the house and tie him to a chair while interrogating him excitedly about UA, his quirk, and various personal aspects of his life he wouldn't want to share.

"You made a friend?!" The woman asked gleefully, and Shinso's face paled. "And she's such a cutie! Bring her in, dear! I'll make tea!"

"Ah, she actually has to get home." Shinso excused immediately as his mother approached. Lillian scooted closer to her friend as the woman got closer and closer, shrinking into herself considerably. The woman had a bright smile on her face, and looked absolutely delighted to see Lillian. The short girl couldn't help but feel nervous nonetheless.

"Nonsense, nonsense! I won't keep her long. Besides, I know you're just saying that to stop me from talking to her." She accused, and Shinso looked a little guilty. The woman turned back towards Lillian, her cheerful purple orbs locking onto Lillian's pale nervous ones. "My name is Mihoko Shinso, but you can just call me Mihoko. I can't believe my son's never mentioned you before!"

"Mom." Shinso hissed, cheeks flaring with embarrassment of his own as his mother began to drag Lillian towards the house, her purple orbs glinting with lively mischief that made Lillian feel oddly more at ease. She took a few deep breaths, offering Shinso an awkward smile as he trailed helplessly after them. She didn't want to upset him, but this woman's grip was iron.

"You're so cute! What made you want to be friends with a downer like my son, anyway? He looks like he hasn't slept in forty-eight hours, and his hair is just as bad as his father's." The woman blabbered. Lillian lit up upon hearing the first question, perking up slightly. Both Shinso and his mother noticed.

"W-Well he was really nice when w-we first met." She twiddled her thumbs, glancing nervously at Shinso and his mother. "A-And his quirk is really, really cool. I-I wish I could brainwash people! N-Not that I would without their permission, o-of course, but it just seems s-so useful." She awed. Shinso felt his cheeks go pink with embarrassment, and he cleared his throat a little, averting his gaze. He didn't think he'd ever get over her awe of his quirk.

His mother seemed surprised. She knew about people's hesitance due to his quirk, and their overall fear of it. "That's so sweet." She smiled instead, eyes sparking. "What's your quirk, honey?"

"She has a quirk called Freeze Frame." Shinso recalled before Lillian could melt into a puddle of embarrassment and claim it to be nothing special. "She can freeze everything in her line of sight. Time stops completely for whatever's in her line of sight."

Shinso's mother looked completely flabbergasted, clearly not expecting a quirk like that. Shinso could understand that. He'd felt nearly the same way. Lillian was so timid and hesitant in everything she did, and yet she had such a powerful quirk behind her. It was something that could stop any situation in its tracks completely and totally.

"That's a powerful quirk, dear." Shinso's mother grinned. "I'm sure Hitoshi here is proud to be your friend."

Lillian's face went red, but the woman didn't seem to notice, skipping off to go make them tea. Shinso stared after her with a deadpan expression on his face. He glanced down at the red-faced Lillian, who flapped her hands as though fanning her face. He wanted to snicker at the sight.

"Sorry about her." He apologized. "And I guess you can call me Hitoshi now. I mean, you have met my mother."

She was about to go into a rant about how that wasn't at all necessary, but upon seeing his grin, she stopped herself and offered a shy smile back instead. Shinso, now dubbed Hitoshi, let her further into the house. Lillian texted her parents that she'd be home a little later than usual, during which the taller boy offered to give her his phone number, as they were friends now.

Lillian wouldn't deny that she was nervous, but she was also... really happy. She really liked Shinso- no, Hitoshi now, and she really enjoyed talking to him. He really seemed to genuinely enjoy her company, and she could easily tell and pick up on it. He wasn't easy to read by any means, but he just... was so laid-back. Not nearly as complex as her boisterous classmates. Or Hagakure. Hagakure was the hardest person to read, seeing as you couldn't actually see her face.

She got to see Hitoshi's room, and she fawned over his cat as though it were the best thing on the entire planet. Hitoshi had to admire that. He was glad to see Lillian relaxing a little more as she got more used to her surroundings, his mother, and Hitoshi. It was a relief to see her coming out of her shell rather than receding into it and having a panic attack. Really, he had no idea how to deal with something like that.

"I wish Hitoshi would have met you sooner." Mihoko pouted, to which Lillian laughed just a little. Hitoshi simply rolled his eyes and scoffed. Lillian didn't know if it was proper of her to act so familiar, but she simply couldn't stop herself from getting comfortable. They were just so welcoming, how could she not?! Between Hitoshi's laid back attitude and his mother's warm and bubbly personality, it was hard not to.

"Whatever. Just be glad I met her at all." Hitoshi waved a hand, and his mom stuck her tongue out in retaliation. Lillian smiled shyly, sitting next to Hitoshi on the couch. She remained hyper-aware of their distance. It had to remain acceptable. A perfect balance of just close enough, but not too close, and not far enough, either. 

"I'm home!" A tired voice called, and Lillian jumped, her entire body tensing in surprise. Hitoshi looked mildly surprised.

"Hey, dad." He greeted as a man that looked strikingly similar to Hitoshi walked in. He had the same hair as his son, though his eyes were a little darker. The bags under his eyes mirrored his son's. He was wearing a doctor's coat, and looked extremely surprised to see Lillian sitting there next to his son. Mihoko grinned widely.

"Lillian, this is my husband, Hajime! He's a doctor at the hospital nearby." The woman cooed. "Honey, this is Lillian, Shinso's friend from school! Isn't she adorable?"

Lillian sunk into the couch, her face blazing. The man blinked a few times as he processed the sudden barrage of information before he offered a lazy grin not unlike that of his son's. Speaking of Hitoshi, the boy looked completely embarrassed by his mother.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lillian." The man grinned. 

"She's staying for dinner." Mihoko noted. Lillian and Hitoshi blinked at her, because really, they hadn't been aware of this development. Lillian shared a look with her new friend, who shrugged vaguely. She hesitantly shrugged back.

She guessed she was staying for dinner.

~

I know, I know, I need to STOP with the fillers but I really needed/wanted to add this part for story purposes (which I guess technically makes it not a filler oops), and it needed to happen before the USJ so uh... yeah I finally just punched down the debate and said fuck it and updated. That's sort of why this story took so long to update. It's because I'm in indecisive idiot.

Okay so I just finished writing this (I wrote the first part of the note first lmao) and I now have zero regrets because this was way more important than I realized and it's just now hitting me so I'm really glad I didn't try and sKip it aH BYE SORRY-