-x- Shoto -x-

What a horrible date. Now Bakugo knew everything. While Shoto didn't think he'd blab about it, it was still uncomfortable. Now there were two people who knew very sensitive information. He kicked a rock on the sidewalk. He wished he could take the contacts out. But he had his mouth clamped shut, and headed to the hardware store, not home.

When he got there, he bought some sandpaper, and then went back home. The fangs were not there to stay. They ached and burned. He hadn't looked at them as he hadn't opened his mouth since leaving, didn't look down on his phone's reflection. He went straight home after that. Izuku texted him, but he didn't look at it.

He shouldn't have said anything. He felt awful. Bakugo must hate him now. He thought he'd have another friend, and now he chased him off because of what a monster he was. He fought tears, and when he got home, went straight up to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him, glad his foster siblings were at school events. Asahi was at work right now, and he was home alone.

He finally opened his mouth to show the fangs. They weren't horrible, but they were noticeable, very. Anyone who saw them would know instantly. Shoto cut off a strip of sandpaper, taped it to the back of his toothbrush's head, and started to sand. He used his speed and strength, and it was about an hour of sanding down, tooth powder on his bottom lip and tongue, when it was presentable.

His gums were mad at him for all the pushing and pulling the sanding did. He smiled, and examined the teeth from all angles. He poked at them, and was glad when they didn't regenerate. It wasn't like he'd removed them. So it didn't heal or repair. He tossed the sandpaper into the bin, and used his toothbrush the right way to get rid of the tooth debris.

But it was good that the fangs hadn't been there long, and he now knew how to get rid of them if it somehow happened a second time. He finally looked at his phone, and saw Bakugo had also texted him.

Look, I'm sorry I pushed. Shoto's eyes widened. I didn't mean to make you feel like shit. I won't tell anybody, no matter what might go down between us.

Shoto looked at the message with conflicted eyes. He didn't know whether Bakugo was being perfectly honest. It was through text, and Shoto hadn't really spent much time getting to know him past his one dimensional personality. The one he put on display. Though Shoto was the same, only he wasn't angry. He seemed hazy a lot. Izuku felt the most, or at least showed the most of his feelings.

Thanks.

What about the teeth?

I sanded them down. They're back to normal.

Good.

He went to Izuku's message next. He didn't plan on talking about his and Bakugo's small conversation. It was between him and Bakugo. And who knew what happened after he left? They might have gotten into a fight ot something. Why else would Bakugo feel the need to apologize? It must have been easier over text than in person, though.

I'm okay. My teeth are back to normal.

Good! I'm sorry I let you talk. It must have been hard and you regret it.

It was hard. I want to trust Bakugo to not tell anyone else.

We got in an argument. I think he genuinely wants to be friends. Really. I think he's being as well behaved as he can. I messed up, too.

It's okay. Just apologize.

I will.

Shoto went to his room and got the laptop before taking it to the loft and sitting on the beanbag chair. He went down the rabbit hole of information over vampires that were starved, and vampires turned at a young age. The affects of drinking from a human directly new in your case. But he found nothing very satisfactory. Nothing he didn't already know.

Being starved has ramifications the rest of your life. Anger issues, mostly. It was lingering trauma. Being starved really was traumatic, because it was very painful. Just thinking about it made him go and drink five servings of blood powder. He returned to his computer, and was disappointed there hadn't been a case like him before. Not recorded - it had to have happened to somebody.

Sighing, he wanted to be productive, and put on a fresh layer of sunblock before heading out and practicing his quirk, just to pass time. He left his phone on the porch, turned text notification sounds off, and it would only make noise if he got a call. If there was an emergency, he'd be called. But now was so he wasn't distracted.

He wanted to see how strong he was at full output, and released a huge wall of ice, dozens of feet thick. He pulled a fist back and covered his arm in ice, hoping for some sort of barrier. He slammed his fist forward, and the thing crumpled completely, shattering from the impact. So did the ice on his arm.

It left bloody gashes when it fractured, but it healed instantly. Now there was a mess of ice everywhere, so he melted it all, giving the yard a nice watering. Looking down at his hands, he wondered if he'd ever be useful. To anyone, or always be a burden. Emotionally and physically. Or a detriment to society.

Tears escaped his eye, and he let them. Why did it all have to happen to him? If he was treated in the beginning, things would have been so much better than it was now. He touched his choker, and crumpled down sobbing, very glad nobody was home.

-x- Izuku -x-

"Kacchan-"

"Shut up, Deku."

"I'm sorry. I'm overprotective of Shoto. I'm sorry I was inconsiderate to your feelings-"

"Shut up!"

Shoto walked over, walking in on their argument. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" both of them shouted, one sounding much angrier than the other.

"...Is it about me. About yesterday at the park?"

"This idiot thought I'd tell everyone and told me to not ask you questions."

"Midoriya, he apologized to me. It's okay, we can move on," Shoto said, shocking Izuku. He looked between them, confused. Shoto hadn't told him anything about it. "I didn't tell you cause I figured he didn't want me to spread it around." He sounded guilty at this, like he'd done something wrong. "I know you're my best friend and all, but I didn't know if I was supposed to tell you or not…"

Right. He was still lost sometimes when it came to friends. When it came to people in general. But Izuku thought he improved a lot. He made friends with Bakugo, was better talking to him and getting along. Then Izuku went and ruined it, Kacchan calling him Deku again. He hoped things could be mended.

"No, you don't need to tell anyone everything that happens. It doesn't matter who it is, you don't need to inform everyone about everything. I'm not mad." A mild look of relief washed over Shoto's face, and he nodded.

"I'm not mad at either of you, so it's fine."

"Whatever," Kacchan said and walked into the classroom. It was their last week of school. Mostly easy tests. Everyone was excited to start middle school, but nervous. Shoto wondered what would be different about it, and was glad he wasn't the only one stepping out into the dark. Izuku and Bakugo were both going to be first year middle schoolers, too.

It was definitely a bit awkward, and Izuku noticed something kind of alarming. In a shallow way. Kacchan was often walking to Shoto and ignoring Izuku. But he was alarmed when Shoto started to look really uncomfortable.

"What do I do?"

"About what?"

"He is mad at you, what should I do?" he asked, lips pursed. He was very uncomfortable. Izuku glanced over, and saw Kacchan looking dry. He glared at Izuku, took a deep breath and walked over.

"Listen! If we argue, it's not your job to fix us!"

"But do I have to take a side?" Shoto asked in confusion.

"Shoto, it's fine. You don't need to take sides if it makes you uncomfortable. I apologized, and now it's up to him what he wants."

Bakugo scowled. "Listen here. I'm not gonna tell anyone anything. I'll stop pressing about things since yesterday was out of a nightmare. If people in general ask questions, it's your choice whether to tell them shit. Deku, I'm not gonna argue with you anymore. Things are different, okay?"

Izuku nodded. He didn't jab him about the Deku comment, not wanting to light a fire under a de-escalating incident. Bakugo walked away when recess was over, and Izuku and Shoto returned to their seats. "I'm sorry. I don't know how people work."

"It's okay, really. You not knowing things might make me and Kacchan get along better. He likes you more than me," he said quietly. "I have to work towards moving on, too. I know I can do it, though. So, it's okay to not know. Promise, I won't get irritated or anything." Shoto nodded. At lunch, Bakugo went and sat with them, away from his own class.

He looked down at the beef dish in Shoto's lunch box. "That blood on it?" he asked quietly. Shoto nodded. "Fuck."

"It looks good, doesn't it?" Shoto said. "It would make you sick and not taste good, probably."

"I ain't planning on fuckin' trying it."

"Jinta, don't run with scissors!" the teacher shouted, and it was like slow motion, seeing one of their classmates fall and impale his arm with the scissors. The smell affected him immediately. He plugged his nose and looked at Shoto in worry. But suddenly Bakugo punched him straight in the forehead, and he passed out.

Both were panting, waiting for the collar to go off. But it didn't, Shoto completely knocked out. "Bakugo! Go to the office right now! Midoriya, take him to the nurse!" the teacher said. But Shoto was unconscious and heavy. Both Izuku and Bakugo woked to drag him out, but not to the nurse office. He'd heal fine.

Izuku looked to Bakugo. "Thank you."

"I didn't do it for you."

"Still. The electrocution causes a scene."

"I figured," Bakugo said and then left to go to the office. Shoto did indeed heal over, the big lump that had formed deflating and flattening, the purpled skin turning back to the pale cream. He opened his eyes, confused.

"What happened?"

"Kacchan knocked you out before you reacted to blood. Jinta stabbed himself with scissors." Shoto nodded, and sat up. "I had trouble, too."

"But you didn't need to be knocked out. It's okay. I'm not too upset. Nothing happened," he droned. He stood up, and helped Izuku stand, too. They returned to the class, Izuku making sure the blood was gone, and it was. Shoto sat back in his seat and laid his head down before returning to the rest of his uneaten lunch.

Since Kacchan wasn't in their class, Shoto didn't get to thank him. He was bummed about it needing to be done, but realized something even more reassuring. What happened proved to Shoto that he now had two people looking out for him. So while he was bummed for a few hours, he started to look more content later. Which was him being happy, of varying intensity.

After school, after their tests graded and handed out, they met outside. "Thank you for helping me."

"Well, you could have attacked me, too. I'm a boring human," Bakugo said, not abe to handle the thank you, so he deflected. Shoto didn't press, and nodded, thanking him lightly one more time. "We could… go to the arcade," he forced out. Izuku knew he was trying. Trying to be a friend.

They had no homework for the last week, and went to the arcade downtown. "Thanks for being my friend, Bakugo." Kacchan's face flamed, and he looked angry, but didn't say anything back. It was such a simple and innocent thing to say and it seemed even Kacchan couldn't yell at him or dispute it.

Out of the three of them, Shoto was in the best mood. Shoto was distracted when he was doing the skee ball, and threw too hard. It embedded into the wall. Bakugo started laughing while Izuku dragged both of them out before they got in trouble. "Oops…"

"That was fucking hilarious! Do you always break shit?" he laughed.

"I don't see why property damage is funny," Shoto said. "It'll just need to be repaired and paid for."

"You have a stick up your ass sometimes, you know that?" Bakugo said. Shoto looked kind of lost. Izuku smiled.

The dream had come true. He had friends. Bakugo wasn't bullying him anymore. It all happened because Izuku became a vampire. He wasn't sure if it outweighed the cons, but he hadn't been so happy in a long time. Always alone, nobody believing in him or what he might be able to do some day.

Surely, sunscreen and bottled blood weren't the full price to pay for his happiness.

"Hey, brats! Get back here!"

"Run!" Izuku shouted, and the three ran away, Shoto managing to stay at the same pace as the other children. Bakugo was grinning sadistically. When he was a hero, he wouldn't be one that cared about property damage. That much was clear a long time ago. Plus, his quirk was destructive; there would be damage.

"Sorry, I ruined it," Shoto said, completely unspent by the running.

"It was an accident. Besides, we were there for a half hour and I was getting hungry," Izuku said. Bakugo was grinning ear to ear, thoroughly entertained. Well, it was a memorable experience.

-x- Shoto -x-

There was a small ceremony for promotion to middle school, and Shoto couldn't be happier and more upset to see his foster mom and dad there. His face stayed plain and blank, a mask over his conflicting feelings. Maybe the mix just made it an even normal, and that's why he looked so emotionless. Even more so than usual, it seemed.

He was wearing nice clothes. Everyone else looked emotional or happy. Glad to move on, grow older, or knowing this long chapter of their lives was over. Shoto only got a few weeks of it. But through it he got closer to Izuku, and he made friends with Bakugo. He was looking cocky, Izuku nervous. Neither looked so devastated, how Shoto was feeling. When his name was called, he was so consumed by his emotions that he stayed sitting. "Hey, Shoto," Bakugo said, shaking him aware.

"Oh." He went and took the paper and returned to his seat. Izuku was worried, and once his was delivered, he returned. "It's stupid."

"What's stupid?" Izuku whispered. They were in one of the furthest rows from the front of the stage, so them talking didn't disrupt anything.

"My foster family is here."

"That's good, isn't it? They care enough to come and see this," Izuku said lightly.

"But it's not gonna last," he whispered. Bakugo was silent, didn't comment.

"Oh, Shoto. You should try and treasure your time with them. It may not last forever, but you'll only be leaving if you find somebody better," Izuku said nicely. Shoto nodded, not wanting to talk about it anymore. He felt sorry for ruining it for his friend. He quietly apologized. "Elementary school was awful. I'm not upset to leave it behind at all. I was mercilessly bullied and ostracized. But moving ahead, I'll try not to let others walk all over me," he said with a smile.

Shoto was glad he didn't ruin it. They all stood and bowed once it was over. Izuku steered Shoto off the stage to his family. His temporary, current family. Part of him felt bad, clearly preferring this foster family over his real ones. Over his real mom. But they were so kind, and were honest and protected him.

His mom had not left. They were all abused or neglected, and she stayed. Too scared to get them out of there, to do anything. He didn't like blaming her, since she was a victim, too, but part of him really thought that, if she had held it together better, Shoto would be okay. He would never voice those thoughts because he was ashamed of them.

So he did his best to hide his feelings, and greeted them. "We took some good photos."

"Sorry I don't smile for photos."

"It's no issue, really. Your sad and blank face at least isn't a turn off. It's not resting bitch face," Asahi joked. Both were concealing they were vampires with contacts, wearing long sleeved clothing. Though neither gave off any hint that it was for any reason that wasn't normal to humans. "The others are waiting at home, we'll be having a feast for their school years ending, too."

Shoto nodded, and wondered if Izuku could come. "If his mother is fine with it, of course," Mikaela said. Shoto went to ask him.

"We're gonna be having good food tonight. Do you want to come for it?" Shoto asked. Izuku turned to his mom, who nodded, understanding they could have food she just wasn't skilled or confident in making. Izuku said she'd tried multiple times, but it never turned out good, no matter how hard or how many times she tried.

Shoto didn't know whether to invite Bakugo. As a good friend, he should. But they were all vampires at Shoto's home. Would it make him uncomfortable? He walked to his blonde friend, who was arguing with his mother, who was proud and happy for him, that he was getting older. They didn't get along well. Or at least, Bakugo didn't like her much. It looked that way.

"We're having dinner at my place. Do you wanna come? There would be some food for you, too," Shoto said.

"No, I have somewhere I'm going." Shoto nodded.

"Um, good job. For making it this far," Shoto said, scratching his cheek.

"The easy part is over. Of course I'd make it," Bakugo replied.

"Katsuki, be more polite!"

"Don't listen on our conversation, hag!" Then they started fighting, and Shoto left to go with his foster parents and best friend. When they got in the car, Shoto asked if he really wouldn't miss it. The other was quiet for a moment, and the red and white haired boy waited for the answer patiently.

He finally said, "School has been hell for me, because I was all alone. Maybe Kacchan will go back to hating me. But even if he does, I have you as my friend. I won't be all alone." His face was bright, and Shoto smiled lightly, and nodded. "It'll be scary, but I'm not alone."

Asahi said, "All of our kids have enrolled in classes requesting to be with a friend. Citing anxiety about unfamiliar humans. It might be a good idea for the both of you to try that." Shoto nodded, and they all headed to the house, and she and Asahi got working on the meal right away. Izuku's mouth was watering from the delicious smells.

"Mikaela-san? Do you think you could give my mom some of these recipes? She's not good with cooking with blood."

"Of course," the foster mother said brightly. Izuku smiled and thanked her, sitting back down. Shoto tried to live in the moment and just enjoy his time there. When they had food, everyone was back by then, and Izuku loved all of the dishes so much. Before he was driven home, he got left overs and recipes from the vampire mother.

Shoto waved goodbye to his friend as the real start of vacation began. Clasping his hands together, he hoped everything went okay.

-x- Izuku -x-

"Izuku?" Shoto called, hurrying over. "Are you okay?" he asked in true worry. Izuku was glad he was calling him by his first name now, too. He wrinkled his nose. It made Izuku uneasy, and he asked what he was talking about. "You smell off. Really off."

"Off? Like what?" Izuku questioned, growing fearful. He couldn't really smell himself. Shoto didn't answer, and insisted they go to the hospital. The freckled boy then saw drool out of Shoto's mouth. "Are you okay?" he asked, now worried about this, too. Shoto wiped his mouth, looking embarrassed.

"Izuku, you smell like a human," Shoto said under his breath. The green haired focused, but didn't feel any different. He could still hear and smell fine. He reached into his backpack and took out a blood bottle. It wasn't clear this time. He uncapped it and sniffed it once. It didn't smell bad, either.

So, he took a drink of it, and promptly got sick and threw it up. It tasted horrible. He was frozen, looking up at his best friend in worry before Shoto called for an ambulance. Who knows what could happen next? They were at the park between their homes, so they didn't need an adult to take them there or pick them up.

Shoto climbed into the ambulance, too. He had stopped drooling and looked normal if not concerned with the drawn together brows. Since Izuku wasn't sick with anything or injured, he was sitting on one of the benches. This would cost them, but he was glad to seek emergency treatment, too.

On their way, he called his mother, who would meet him at the hospital. It wasn't a long distance from the park or apartments, so they arrived their quickly. Izuku and Shoto hurried inside. He went to the front desk, and said, "I'm here for a vampire related issue." He didn't look like one, but neither did Shoto with contacts in.

"Our resident vampire specialist will be with you shortly." They sat down, and then Inko came, hurrying over.

"What happened? Do you feel okay?" she asked in worry. But then Shoto said something that made him a bit sad.

"I'm sorry, I can't be here. There's too much blood," he said in shame. "I- keep me posted, okay?" he asked. Shoto gave him a hug and nodded. He hadn't reacted to the hug like he would if he hugged a smelly human. "Good luck."

"Thank you for calling, Shoto-kun," Inko said. Shoto nodded, and hurried out. After he left, Izuku was quickly called in. When they got to the room by the nurse, he had regular tests done, blood pressure, temperature, normal things. The vampire things would begin when the doctor came, which was only a few minutes after the nurse left. He walked inside, looking startled. He glanced down at Izuku's file and the back up at him. His face relaxed, getting his emotions under control, but it didn't mean the other two didn't see it all. Worried by such expressions. Was something really bad?

"My name is Tatsu. I'm the highest ranking vampire practitioner in this hospital. I've seen many cases before and treated various ailments. Midoriya Izuku and Inko, right? I'll start with some history questions. When were you turned?"

"Five months ago. I was in rehab for six weeks after two months of not. My best friend is a vampire, too. He told me I smelled like a human. Do I, to you, too?" He wasn't sure what answer he was looking for, what he wanted. He was kind of scared. Never had he heard of this happening in the hundreds of hours he'd spent researching vampires in general.

It wasn't possible for them to turn back into humans. And Izuku had not fed off a human before, and definitely not anytime recently. "You do not smell like a vampire. Do you feel any different?"

"I can still hear and smell fine. I drank soe blood, but it made me sick."

"Well, I'll do some tests and we'll see what comes up." Izuku nodded, Inko holding his hand. He had blood draws, tongue and nose swabs and urine samples given. Since he'd never gotten the perks of being a vampire, he couldn't test if those had gone or were still there. He kept Shoto and Kacchan updated over text.

Bakugo was shocked and confused, while Shoto was deeply troubled and nervous. It took a few hours for the blood work, and until then, he had xrays and brain scans done. Then they did psyche tests. The whole over the top shebang. The more they did, the more worried Izuku got. Was something really wrong with him?

Once it was over and they had dinner from the cafeteria, they were told the results. "You both have human and vampire attributes. I don't really have much prediction for the future, since this has never been documented before."

"What? What parts are still vampire?!" Izuku asked.

"Your sense of smell and sound are the same. Your healing ability has slowed, but you can still recover from wounds at a faster rate than normal humans. You don't need to drink blood anymore. As for the sunlight, sunblock is still recommended. We tested UV rays on your blood and skin tissue and they did not burn completely, but I believe you still have sensitive skin. As for what happens next, it's anyone's best guess."

"Can we use my blood to cure my best friend, too?" Izuku asked frantically. Dr. Tatsu shook his head.

"It wouldn't be safe to even experiment, not knowing what caused this or if it will change. For now, keep being cautious, and keep blood on you in case something happens and you start to crave it. Just as a precaution."

Izuku felt ashamed. He couldn't even be happy in that moment. He betrayed his friend. The thing he wanted most in the world was to be a human again, and here Izuku was, just getting rid of the parts Shoto hates the most about himself. The need for human blood, the bad reactions to it, and the sun.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Shoto over text. I want to see you both in person to talk about it.

Where?

My house?

They both agreed, and when Izuku and Inko were discharged, she was confused as to why he wasn't happy. "I've left Shoto all alone," he honestly said. "I left him alone, when he wants to be a human again a lot more than I do."

"Honey, it's not like you did this on purpose. He should be happy for you."

"Just because he's happy for me doesn't mean it won't hurt. Nobody understands what it feels like but vampires. And now, Shoto doesn't even have one beside him, dealing with the same troubles." His voice was distant and sad. He didn't even notice them stop at a Starbucks and order the other two's favorite drinks. Both Kacchan and Shoto were waiting outside, and stood up when the car came to the parking spot. They headed inside, Shoto looking sad. He knew what the answer was, he could smell it.

No doubt he'd shut down completely and make no show of what he was feeling. But he should learn in person, because this was a big deal. They got the drinks, and Shoto put blood powder in his hot chocolate. They went into Izuku's room and closed the door. Inko went to her own room, which Izuku was glad of. She wasn't listening in at all.

"So, what's going on?" Kacchan asked in a sour voice.

Shoto was looking down. Izuku took a deep breath, and explained everything, laying out some of the notes and paperwork they'd been given upon their departure from the hospital. Bakugo was shocked, knowing himself that this didn't seem possible. It had never happened before. At least, not publish or documented.

But Izuku was paying more attention to Shoto, who hadn't said a word, and looked empty and blank. His normal frown wasn't even there, he was hiding his emotions behind the mask of indifference. Kacchan looked at him too, a look of almost awkward pity on his face. "Can I talk to him alone, Kacchan?"

He knew this needed to be a private conversation between the two, so the full human left without argument, closing the door quietly behind him. Izuku heard him sit on the couch. "I'm sorry, Shoto… I've left you all alone."

Shoto said nothing but gave shrug, completely shut down and walls up. "I still want you to be my best friend, even if we don't have that in common anymore. Not the emotionally heavy parts."

"I'm a bad friend," Shoto said. "I'm angry. I'm happy for you, but angry, too. I shouldn't be mad or upset-"

"I'm not surprised or upset that you are, Shoto," Izuku said softly. "I didn't even try and yet I'm at some sort of normal." He started to cry. "You want it so badly, and I just took it." Tears went down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry." Shoto looked up with tears from his good eye, too.

"What if I hurt you now? You saw me before, I was drooling. What if I'd hurt you?" Shoto asked in a scratchy voice. Quiet enough so nobody but Izuku could hear.

Izuku moved forward and took both hands. "Even if you do try to hurt me, I will still heal. And you have the collar-"

"I didn't want to need to rely on it while with my friends. I don't want to be hurting every time I'm with you, my throat burning." Izuku grew cold, thinking this was the end of their friendship, and that Shoto was backing into his shell and wouldn't come out again. He started to worry that he lost his best friend over something he couldn't control and didn't ask for.

He was scared.

"But you're my best friend… I don't want to be a bad friend. I like being with you a lot. I just…"

"Things will be different now," Izuku agreed softly. "Maybe it'll fade. You'll get used to it around me. Practice makes perfect. And I'll still understand you more than anyone other than your foster family. I know what it all feels like, even if it doesn't affect me fully anymore. I will never minimize or look past your hardships because I was there, too. I experienced it and nothing can take that away from us."

Shoto wiped his eye and nodded. He took his collar off, and turned it inside out. Izuku had not seen him take it off since leaving rehab. "There's a manual button here. It was made but never used. If… if I start to act weird, if you can get close, then press the button," Shoto said. He then quickly put it back on, having trouble putting the puzzle piece lock into place.

If he was in a frenzy state, he couldn't have taken it off, he wasn't coordinated enough. Izuku did not want to ever do that, ever hurt him in that way, but agreed anyways. "If you do start drooling or smelling, it won't bother me. It's just a natural reaction, and you have to remember I went through it, too. I will never judge you over anything."

He hugged Shoto, who stiffened, but hugged him back. "You're the best friend I can hope for, and I won't ever disappoint you," Izuku promised. Shoto nodded, but didn't say anything back. They then let Bakugo into the room, and watched a movie. Though Shoto was distracted the whole time, and Izuku was sad he'd never have those sweet candies again. He'd never have those beyond amazing blood dishes. To him now, they weren't appetizing. He was some sort of in between human or vampire.

He was the only one, and there was a scary feeling to that. Having no idea what would happen next. He was the inbetween of his two friends. He didn't express how scary it was. Didn't want to worry them, or complain.

It was after dinner, the other two back at their homes, that Shoto messaged. It's okay to be scared, being the only one.

I am scared.

That's okay. It's not wrong or stupid. But I'm here for you. We just have to be more careful.

Yeah.