He could feel his pulse racing as he walked down the hallway toward the classroom. A blend of nervousness and anticipation made his stomach twist into knots. He just had to reassure himself that everything would be fine.

She had been out the previous day. Supposedly, she was out sick, but Todoroki had been gone as well. It was actually a little suspicious. He knew that their quiet, stoic classmate was keeping a kitten at her house so he had to wonder if something had happened to it. Maybe that was the real reason why they were both out at the same time.

I shouldn't think about that! Worrying isn't manly! Taking action is manly! He curled a hand into a fist and gave himself a reassuring nod.

Halfway to the classroom, he paused and started going through his bag to make sure that he had everything. A good quality chocolate bar with caramel center. A small, handwritten note. Both things tied together with a piece of yarn that he had found on his way home the previous day. It was perfect.

He hoped that it was perfect. Honestly, he had spent the past few days attempting to write that note. So much paper had been wasted by the time he was sure that he had it right. He had even used up two pens before he was satisfied.

Approaching the classroom, he took a deep breath and put on a smile. Okay! I'm going to talk to her and tell her what I think! Everything is going to be great!

The second that he was in the classroom, he froze up. She was there, sitting at her desk with her head bowed. Behind her, Bakugou was leaning forward in his seat and glaring at the book she held, trying to demand to know what it was about. The girl was clearly uncomfortable and seeing this made him angry.

Their first day of high school, he had developed a crush on her. She was quiet, cute, and polite. Ever since he first heard her voice, he had wanted to talk to her. He wanted to hear how it would sound if that soft voice laughed. He wanted to get her to smile. It had made him really happy when he finally did speak to her and they became friends so quickly.

Crossing the classroom, he flashed Shirayuki a grin and came to stand beside her desk. "Hey, Yuki-chan! Welcome back! Feeling better?"

The girl shyly looked up from her book, probably blushing behind her mask. She gave a slight nod and closed the book. "…um…I-I feel better…"

He was glad to hear it, but something seemed off. It was as she bowed her head that he glimpsed something beneath the edge of her mask. A purplish-black mark on her cheek that was mostly covered by the pale blue medical mask she was wearing.

That's a bruise, he immediately realized. The boy's heart dropped into his stomach upon seeing this and he glanced to Bakugou. The blond seemed to have not noticed the bruise or else he was sure that Bakugou would be raising hell about it. She wasn't out sick yesterday. What did she get that bruise from?

Though he had only seen a small hint of it, it still upset him. He hated to see her upset so to see her physically injured made his chest feel tight. The boy planted a hand on the girl's desk, frowning and tilting his head. "If you need anything, let me know, okay?"

"Back off, shitty hair."

"What? I'm her friend!"

"She's my girl so if she needs something-"

"…I'm…not dating you…" Shirayuki muttered, her eyebrows furrowing.

"You know she's dating that guy from class C," he agreed, his frown deepening. As much as he disliked it. As much as he wished that she had waited.

Before Bakugou could have a fit, Ashido and Kaminari joined them at Shirayuki's desk and greeted her. While they spoke to the girl about the upcoming sports festival, he kept his eyes on his crush. She was trying to act like nothing was wrong. She was trying so hard to convince them that everything was alright. As far as he could tell, the others failed to notice, but it was glaringly obvious to him.

She was afraid of something. Whatever had caused that bruise on her face had kept her from coming to school the previous day and he had a feeling that it involved Todoroki. Kirishima turned to look at the boy's desk and saw that Todoroki was there, but he was avoiding looking in their direction.

Shift P.O.V

Shirayuki stood in the cafeteria entrance for a long moment as she tried to decide what to do. She was able to get through her classes without taking off her mask, but she would need to remove it in order to eat. Skipping a meal was out of the question since she was prone to bouts of low blood sugar.

I don't want anyone to see my bruise. I can't let anyone see it. She nervously toyed with the hairband on her wrist and scanned the cafeteria for Shinsou. Sitting with her friends would be too embarrassing. She would hate for them to see her bruise so she told them that she wanted to eat with her boyfriend. Now she was unable to find him.

That morning, he had failed to show up to walk with her. He sent a message saying that he had something to do that morning so she had hoped to at least run into him in the corridor, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was almost as if he was avoiding her.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Shirayuki tried to at least find a seat where she could hide from everyone else. It was as she spotted an empty corner that she became aware of someone staring at her. The girl turned her head and jumped a little upon realizing that Kaminari was standing there. "…s-sorry…did you…did you say something…?"

"Nope!" He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I was thinking about asking you to sit with us, but I didn't ask yet."

She bowed her head, letting dark violet strands fall forward around her face. "…I-I'm sorry, but…I don't…want to be around anyone…"

"I thought you were eating with your boyfriend."

"…um…I don't…know where he is…" she admitted.

"So sit with us. You need to eat, right?" Kaminari grinned and reached for her hand. "Come on. I'll grab some food for you and you can save the seats, okay?"

My bruise…I can't let anyone see it. She shook her head, but he was already leading her toward a table. "…K-Kaminari-kun…"

"We really missed you yesterday! Ashido and I wanted to go over to your place and visit you, but Kirishima said we should leave you alone if you're sick," he explained. "Here we go! Just wait here, okay? Be right back!"

Sitting alone at the table, she watched him walk to rejoin the others. Ashido waved at her and smiled, but Kirishima wore a look of concern. The girl slouched in her seat, but decided to stay. If I just eat really quickly, maybe I can keep the bruise hidden from them.

Shift P.O.V

He hated to avoid her. He knew that she was probably worried, but it had to be done. After hearing her say that she loved him, Shinsou started to feel a bit strange about their relationship. He liked her a lot, but the word "love" was really strong and they had only been dating for a short while.

The boy had found a bathroom that was less popular with the other students and locked himself in a stall in order to avoid her. It was lunch time. Usually, he would love to sit with her and watch her enjoy her food. Instead, he was hiding from her. It left him with a heavy sense of guilt.

When he first heard her say those words, it filled him with so much warmth. The more he thought about it, though, the more he started to question if they were moving too fast. She had mumbled the confession in her sleep, but she had still said it. He had tried to act normal around her the rest of that day, but it was difficult. Now he was forced to ponder his feelings for her.

I can't keep avoiding her, Shinsou told himself. I'll have to talk to her eventually. I don't want her to think I'm mad at her. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. She probably doesn't even realize that she said it. This isn't fair to her. I just…can't see her again this soon.

Shift P.O.V

Shirayuki frowned behind her mask and fidgeted with her hair band. What am I going to do? I don't want them to see it. Kaminari-kun was nice enough to get me food, but now I can't eat it without taking off my mask. She was chewing the inside of her cheek in a panic, only stopping when she tasted blood.

Beside her, Kaminari was blissfully unaware of her worries. Across from her, Kirishima was frowning and quickly lowered his gaze when their eyes accidentally met. A faint, warm hue overtook his face in that instant and he pretended to cough, nudging Ashido's elbow.

The pink-haired girl had been scrolling through something on her phone and looked over curiously. "What's up?"

"Hey, you have makeup in your bag, right?" Kirishima spoke up.

"Uh…yeah. Why?"

He nodded toward Shirayuki, who was nervously toying with her hair band again. "I think Yuki-chan wanted to borrow some. Right, Yuki-chan?"

Her face went bright pink and she gave a small nod. Did he…notice my bruise?! I thought my mask hid it! But that's…so nice of him to try to help me! The girl's crimson eyes began to well up with tears and she tried to subtly wipe them away before anyone could notice.

"Oh? You want to borrow some makeup? Want some help?" Ashido saw her nod again and then noticed the tears. Her gaze widened with recognition, seemingly realizing how nervous she was about the makeup. "Okay! We'll be right back, you guys! Let's go, Yuki-chan; we can finish lunch when we're done."

She was nervous to let Ashido see her bruise, but let her apply some makeup over it. Luckily, Ashido had some pale eyeshadow in her makeup bag that was a pretty good match for Shirayuki's skin tone. As she was finishing up, the dark-haired girl caught the look of worry in her friend's eyes. "…this…this wasn't from Shinsou…" she explained.

"I didn't think it was. Yuki-chan, he's always really sweet to you. I don't know where he is today, but I know he wouldn't hurt you like this. So do you want to talk about what happened?"

Fresh tears blurred her vision and she quickly moved to wipe them away before they could ruin the makeup that Ashido had applied. "…d-don't tell anyone…please…"

"Of course not! We're friends, Yuki-chan; friends keep each other's secrets."