"Hey, Kirishima." Nen walked over to him and elbowed him gently. "Glad we got paired up." She told him as she began tossing her hair in a braid.
"Yeah!" He said enthusiastically. Kirishima grinned and showed off his pointy teeth. "I've been itching to see just what your quirk can handle." Nen beamed as they walked over to their designated spot. It was that time of the week where they paired off against each other to practice fighting. "Seeing you at the UA against that NOMU makes me wanna see just how tough you are!"
"Really?" She smiled brightly and flipped her braid over her shoulder as they faced each other. "I've been practicing something and I was hoping you'd help me with it!" She stepped into stance, feet shoulder width apart and one foot behind, knees bent and arms infront, guarding her chest. Nen brought her will forward and the glowing yellow formed in disks in front of her arms. She closed her eyes and focused. Kirishima stared, impressed as the disks wrapped around her arms and fists like armor. She opened her eyes and for a moment, Kirishima could have sworn they were all white.
"Impressive!" He encouraged her and took an offensive stance, similar to hers.
"Thanks. It was inspired by you." She told him.
"Hehe, I'm not goin' easy on ya just because you're flattering me." Kirishima told her, gearing up for a fight. "You sure your wrists can take it?"
"They're gonna have to." Nen admitted. "I haven't tried it on my legs yet. But I'm hoping it'll help take some of the pressure."
"Only one way to find out!" Kirishima said as he charged. Nen braced herself and readied for impact. Kirishima struck and she blocked with a forearm and knocked his punch away and striking him in the chest with the other hand hard enough to make him stagger back with and oof. Nen stepped back herself and dropped her shield, shaking her hands in pain. "Good hit." He offered and relaxed his quirk. "How's your wrists? Hey, weren't you wearing a brace on that one earlier?"
"Could have been worse." She assured him with a weak smile, dodging the last question. "The shield helped, but I think this wrist is just too damaged."
"Do you want to stop?" He asked, not wanting to break her hands right before the big event. Nen took a minute to inhale. She closed her eyes and focused. Nen brought out her will once more and the shields appeared and wrapped around her arms. This she focused on her legs too. The shields around her arms were stable but the armor on her legs fluctuated.
"No," She responded. "Looks like I'm going to learn on the fly." Kirishima grinned and hardened his quirk again.
"All right, you asked for it!" He lunged again. Kirishiam and Nen exchanged blows and kicks throughout the class session, solidifying her quirk and making adjustments here and there on the fly. Nen was excited to see she could not only keep up with her new friend, but hold her own against him as well. She couldn't help but smile and laugh at small blunders. He was kind enough not to take advantage of them and would chuckle on occasion himself. Nen felt strong, confident. She felt free. The world melted away and Nen hardly noticed any other of her classmates fighting or exercising. Even Bakugo's blasts had faded out of her focus.
Even after class was over, as she was leaving the gymnasium with her friends, she found herself walking lighter, laughing more with her friends. She showered off and got changed back into her school uniform, letting down her hair so it would dry. She and Momo were chatting excitedly with Jiro about music on the way to classroom to gather their things for the day.
"Are you sure you don't want to stop for a snack on the way home?" Jiro asked as they gathered their things, shoving them in their bags.
"I'm ok, thank you!" Nen told them. "I actually have to stop by to see Recovery Girl for my hand. I over did it a bit in practice today."
"Oh, alright." Momo said with a small smile, "We'll see you tomorrow. Do you still need notes?"
"No, no. I am actually going to be catching up on a lot of it tonight, so I should be alright." Nen explained and with her good hand, pulled her bag over her shoulder. She felt something pop in her good wrist and winced in pain.
"Are you alright?" Momo asked her. Nen shook her hand.
"I guess I did more damage than I thought." She said and tried to flex her hand. Nen stepped aside, aiming to leave. "I guess I better get going, then. See you later." Nen excused herself and walked out of the class and down the hall.
Nen brushed past students who were heading home, talking amongst themselves. The halls were a little crowded and she cradled her wrists close to her chest, not wanting to hurt them further. Something caught her eye and she looked as Hideo was hardly a foot from her, his hand reaching out to grab her. Nen's eyes widened as she saw sparks flickering around his hand. Nen jolted back and bumped into someone.
"Woah, careful." Kirishima said with a smile as his hands rested gently on her arms, steadying her. She looked up at her friend and her shoulders relaxed in relief. "Did you need something, buddy?" He asked Hideo who had dropped his hand. The mass of students parted around them but continued to pass by. Hideo said nothing and left, once more blending in with the crowd. "He's a creepy one." Kirishima said quietly. Nen stepped away and looked at the tall red head.
"Thank you." She told him. "Are you heading to the nurse's too?"
"Oh, I'm actually taking Bakugo his bag. Apparently, he had to go right after class." Kirishima explained. "I saw your yellow bag and when I got closer I saw that guy trying to grab you. Everything ok?"
"Uh, yeah." Nen offered, unsure herself. "Just an awkward breakup, I think." She explained and rubbed her wrist, still feeling his tight grip on her. The two began walking together. "So, what happened to Bakugo?" Nen asked, wanting to think of something other than Hideo.
"Oh, he said something about his shoulders were bothering him." Kirishima answered off handedly. "Guess he just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious."
"I see." Nen responded. "I hope he feels better."
"Yeah." Kirishima said and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, you got pretty good at your shield thing in practice today."
"Oh, thank you." Nen smiled up at him. "I struggle to keep both of them up at the same time, the arms and legs. I have to keep two clear intentions."
"So just do what you need when you need to." Kirishima suggested. Nen looked at him, the gears in her head moving, understanding. Her eyes lit up. "Like when you're kicking, get leg shields or whatever, and then when you throw a punch, just switch."
"That's a really good idea." Nen agreed as they neared the nurse's office. "It'll take practice to be able to visualize and switch so quickly, but it's not a crazy idea!"
"Hey, maybe you'll get the hang of it by the time the games start!" He encouraged as he grabbed the door to the nurse's office and opened it.
"Oh, I don't think I'll-" Nen cut herself short as she stepped into the office, startled by the site before her. Sitting on one of the beds, facing the window, sat Bakugo with his shirt off and arms stretched out like a "T" as Recovery Girl inspected him and tested his shoulders. She could see some of the bruising his shoulders had taken. Nen's face grew warm when she realized she was probably staring too long. Bakugo looked over his shoulder at the two of them in the doorway, letting Nen see his muscles move and he briefly met her eyes. Nen looked away quickly and looked anywhere else but at her classmate. Kirishima picked up on her nervousness but stepped into the office and closed the door behind him as though nothing was wrong.
"Yo, Bakugo!" He greeted and approached. "Grabbed your stuff and your uniform for ya!" He said and tossed it on the bed next to him. Bakugo just grunted at him.
"What on earth are you two doing here?" Recovery Girl asked, exasperation clear in her voice.
"Oh, I'm just here to drop off his stuff!" Kirishima answered brightly.
"And you, Nen?" Recovery Girl asked, turning to the girl who was staring at a poster on the wall, trying to respect Bakugo's privacy.
"I, uh," She stammered. "I-I, uh my wrists are hurting again. I was hoping you could help me." Nen finally stammered out. Recovery Girl sighed and stepped away from Bakugo.
"You should be fine after a day or two of rest now." She instructed him. "Be sure not to do anything other than light stretching and exercise. I suggest you give your quirk a rest until they feel a little better." Bakugo only nodded at her. Recovery Girl walked past the bed and pulled the privacy curtain for him so he could finish changing. "Alright, Nen. What have you gotten into now?"
"Both of my wrists hurt pretty bad." She admitted as Recovery Girl gently took both of her hands. "In this one, I was just putting my back pack on and something must have shifted. I heard a pop."
"Did it hurt?" Recovery Girl asked as she began to gently press along the wrist, making Nen wince.
"Yes, a little."
"Well, let me see the other one." Recovery Girl instructed as she began to unvelcro the brace. Nen hissed as the brace's fabric brushed against her skin.
"Wow, that looks pretty bad." Kirishima commented sympathetically, looking over her shoulder at the bruised and irritated wrist. "Maybe I shouldn't have used my quirk today."
"Nen, were you practicing against Kirishima's quirk?" Recovery Girl chided. Nen shot her friend a look and he put his hands up in apology. Recovery Girl shook her head. "Well, it looks as though you've really broken it. I won't be able to know for sure until tomorrow. We will have to take more x-rays." Recovery Girl tsked at her. "For now, we are going to put you back in the brace, but this time, you are NOT going to use your hand."
"But what about-" Recovery Girl cut her off. Nen flushed in embarrassment of her own carelessness as she noticed the curtain slide back with Bakugo standing there, watching the exchange.
"I am sure one of your classmates can help you with notes and assignments." Recovery Girl told her as she put another, firmer brace on Nen's arm. "And if you come back with any more damage to your other hand, I'll have you in a plaster cast for the next six months." She threatened and Nen just looked at her hand sadly.
"Yes, ma'am." Nen acknowledged.
"Good." Recovery Girl said with a firm nod. "Now the three of you run along home. I am sure you could all use the rest, she said as she ushered the three of them out of the office. As the door closed, Recovery Girl smiled to herself. Nen had certainly improved since her last injury.
"So, you guys wanna stop for boba?" Kirishima suggested as the three began walking down the hall.
"Whatever." Bakugo grunted as he rolled his shoulders.
"Oh, I can't I have to go home and do my homework." Nen apologized. Kirishima just blinked at her.
"You can do homework after boba." Kirishima pointed out. "Besides, you can't really do your homework with your hand like that."
"Oh, uh well I" Nen stammered again, not sure why she felt the need to excuse herself from spending time with her friends. "I already told Momo and Jiro I couldn't get food with them, so I would feel bad if I went with a different pair of friends."
"We're not friends." Bakugo muttered and Nen caught it but was distracted by Kirishima who whipped out his red phone as they headed down the steps, still walking out of the building.
"Well, let's invite them too." He said and pressed call. "Yo! Nen told us you guys were getting food. Bakugo and I managed to convince her. Where are you guys?"
"I didn't say yes!" Nen shouted
"Don't just invite yourself to things!" Bakugo yelled at him at the same time. Kirishima just smiled at his friends as he continued to talk to Momo.
"Yeah, we're leaving now." Kirishima told her with a smile. "See you then!" He said and hung up, looking at his two friends in front of him. "They're just a few blocks from the school, they're gonna wait there for us!" Nen looked at him for a brief moment before laughing, startling Bakugo, even though he didn't show it.
"I guess I could go with you guys." Nen said as they walked.
"Awesome." Kirishima cheered. "And hey, if you wanted, Bakugo could probably help you with homework!"
"Don't volunteer me for shit without asking!" Bakugo shouted at Kirishima and Nen laughed.
"That's ok, I'm sure I can still write with my hand." Nen said as they stepped outside.
"Are you crazy?" Kirishima asked her. "Recovery Girl said not to use your hand at all!"
"Oh, but-" Nen started to argue back but Bakugo actually spoke up.
"If you wanna get stuck in a cast right before the games that's your problem." He said grumpily. Nen mulled over his words and realized he had a point. She sighed as the started walking down the steps. As they reached the last step Nen spotted someone standing off to the side in the courtyard, watching the three of them.
"Hey, Nen." Kirishima asked, wondering why she had stopped walking. "What's wrong?" He asked before following where she was staring at. Nen glanced between Bakugo and Kirishima who had stopped and looked over to Hideo. Nen dug into her pocket with her good hand and pulled out her earbuds phone. She shoved them in her ears and looked for a song to listen to. "Isn't that the guy who tried to grab you earlier?"
"He tried to grab her again?" Bakugo asked, calm and quiet.
"Hu?" Kirishima asked. "Isn't that your ex?"
"I'm just going home." Nen announced and started speed walking away. "Let them know I'm sorry." Nen walked as fast as she could without running as she pressed play. She didn't want to talk to him, she didn't want to be stopped by him. Nen knew she was practically defensive at this point and just wanted to go home, to get away from him. She wanted so badly to just be able to spend time with her classmates but not if it meant Hideo would cause problems. Nen saw out of the corner of her eye that she had passed him. Hideo was glaring daggers at her and she could feel it on the back of her head but she kept walking. Nen just had to keep walking, maybe focus on the music.
My world is burning down around me. Her earbuds sang loudly, tuning out the world around her. Nen kept walking and damn near jumped out of her skin when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She jolted and looked at who grabbed her only to see Kirishima's smiling face. She looked to the left to see Bakugo had taken the other side, the two of the flanking her and putting right between them. Kirishima dropped his hand and she smiled at him, taking out one of her earbuds.
"You didn't really think we were gonna let you walk alone, did you?" Kirishima asked and Nen rubbed the back of her neck.
"We're going to the same place." Bakugo spoke up, making her look at him again. "It's stupid to walk alone." He said as they stepped off school property. Nen absorbed his words and looked at the two boys walking with her. She slipped her arms under theirs, linking them all together, much to Bakugo's displeasure.
"Thank you both." She told them quietly with a smile as they walked. Kirishima chuckled and Bakugo shook her off.
"So what music are you listening too?" Kirishima asked. "It's heavier than I took ya for!"
"What do you mean?" Nen asked, a little confused.
"You're just such a bubbly person, I'd figure you'd be more into pop or something." Kirishima explained. Nen unlocked her phone with her good hand and leaned it towards him, scrolling through, showing him playlists and albums. She had a playlist for just about every mood and it ranged from pop to death metal.
"My dad raised me on metal." Nen explained with an excited smile. "It's probably my favorite to listen to, it's so diverse!" Kirishima laughed.
"I never would have pegged you for a metal head." He laughed and Nen gave him the devil horns around her phone and stuck out her tongue jokingly, making him laugh even harder.
"I just really like rock in general." She admitted, "but sometimes, I really like upbeat happy pop music too."
"You've got a lot of music options." Kirishima noted and she paused her music and took out her earbuds. She tried to roll them up but kept almost dropping her phone.
"Give me that!" Bakugo scolded her and grabbed her phone, wrapping the earbuds around the phone and shoving it back into her hand. "Just ask for help you cripple."
"You should take some of your own advice." Nen pointed out as she put her phone away.
"I don't need anyone's help." Bakugo responded curtly. "I didn't break my damn hand."
"Why are you always so rude?" Nen asked him, getting frustrated.
"Why are you always so annoying?" Bakugo raised his voice.
"Probably because you're always so mean you angry firework!" Nen shouted at him. Bakugo screwed up his face angrily.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT, YOU GLOW BUG!" He shouted at her angrily. Kirishima laughed loudly at the new nickname. Nen turned and shot him with a look. He quickly calmed himself and waved to someone.
"Oh, look, there's the other two!" Kirishima said nervously as he stepped away from Bakugo and Nen and jogged down the last block to Jiro and Momo. The two watched him leave before facing each other again.
"You are. You are angry and you explode like a firework!" Nen explained. "I glow, but I am not a bug!"
"Yeah, we'll you bug me plenty!" He argued. Nen paused for a minute and just blinked at him before snorting and cracking a smile. "What the hell are you laughing at?" He asked her.
"That was clever." She admitted. Bakugo wasn't quite sure how to respond. He wasn't trying to be funny it just slipped out. It was just a witty comeback. Not knowing what else to do, he tched. And turned away from her.
"Whatever." He said and walked towards the rest of their friends. Nen followed, walking with him and greeted the group as they joined them.
"Hey, Nen!" Jiro greeted. "What made you change your mind?" She asked and glanced briefly over at Bakugo and then back to her friend.
"Oh, uh Kirishima kinda spoke for me." Nen explained. "That and Recovery Girl told me not to use my hand. It's probably broken." She added, holding up her braced hand.
"Wow, that sucks." Jiro commented.
"I'll help you with homework tonight if you want." Momo offered. "Why don't we have that study session we've been meaning to have." She suggested, looking and Jiro.
"Oh, yeah! We could call everyone else, too." Jiro turned to the boys. "Why don't you guys join us?"
"I'm just here for food." Bakugo told them grumpily. "I don't need help in class."
"We could use your help, though." Nen pointed out. "I'll buy you food!" Nen bribed him and he just looked at her confused.
"Why the hell are you still buggin' me?" He asked, raising his voice again. Nen giggled at the bug reference again.
"So that's a yes." She stated. She wasn't asking him and he didn't have a chance to correct her. "So, where are we going?" Nen asked the three other people she was with while Bakugo stood off to the side, steaming in frustration.
"Well, first we need to see who is going." Jiro suggested as she started texting people.
"Hey, I'll ask some of the guys, I know Kaminari needs help." Kirishima said as he pulled out his phone.
"Kaminari's a lost cause." Jiro joked.
"I don't know where we can fit all of us." Momo commented. "And we need to keep people's budget in mind." Nen practically flashed for a moment in excitement.
"What if everyone comes over to my place!" She suggested. "We could order pizza!" She suggested.
"Would we be able to fit everyone?" Momo asked. "And is your dad ok with that? I could always host, but I am a little out of the way."
"Well, we manage to fit my family." Nen explained. "And I'm close to a station, so it's easy to get to. My dad is away on business so he doesn't mind!"
"Wow, alright!" Jiro said with a smile. "This'll be cool. I'll send out a mass text to everyone. Kirishima, you do one too. With any luck we can get the whole class."
"This is so exciting!" Nen cheered. Momo was about to agree but someone caught her eye over Nen's shoulder.
"I think Hideo followed you guys." Momo said quietly and Nen looked over her shoulder to see Hideo standing a few feet from them, just watching them. "He's being really creepy."
"Yeah, dude followed us from school." Kirishima explained. "We found him waiting for her outside."
"Nen, are you gonna be ok?" Jiro asked, worried about her friend. Nen stopped looking at Hideo and returned her attention to her friends.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Nen told them and walked forward, taking Momo's hand with her good hand and linking her other arm with Jiro and pulling the two girls with her down the road abruptly.
She was going to spend time with her friends and she would not let him ruin it. The two boys followed behind them.
"Well, Ururaka is coming with Deku and Iida." Jiro said as she checked her phone.
"Oh cool!" Kirishima chimed in. "We've got Kaminari coming! He's bringing Mineta, though."
"Lock your door, Nen." Jiro joked as Nen and Momo giggled, "We don't need him creeping through your room."
And just like that, her spirits rose again. Nen walked down the road with her friends, laughing and giggling on the way to a study group that was going to have lots of pizza.