Shirayuki was trembling by the time they reached the training camp. After fighting alongside her friends and classmates, burning through her calories and blasting away obstacles to help clear paths for them, it was difficult for her to stay standing. Trying to catch her breath, she glanced at the others.
Everyone was a little bruised and battered from the struggle. She lowered her head and reached up to untie her mask. During the fight to reach the camp, a sharp rock had sliced through her mask and cut her cheek. She gently touched the cut and winced. It stung and it was still bleeding.
Holding her torn mask in her hands, she felt tears of panic rising. I…I only brought one mask. And now it's ruined. What am I going to do? What am I-? She gritted her teeth and tightened her hold on the mask. It was a pale blue mask with little hearts embroidered on it; something made for her by her grandmother.
"Yuki, are you okay? That looks pretty painful." Kirishima approached her side and winced when he saw what happened to her mask. "That's not good. Uh…I bet someone's got something we can use to fix it. Oh! Yaoyorozu could probably make a sewing kit, right?"
"…I-I don't…I don't know how to sew…" she admitted.
His shoulders drooped a little. "Yeah, I don't either." The redhead rubbed at the back of his neck and then perked up again. "Don't worry! I'll find someone that can sew! I'll ask around and I'm sure somebody here knows how." He frowned again and tilted his head when he noticed the blood on her cheek.
"We should probably get that cut treated first. Here." Kirishima offered his hand, smiling down at her. "I know you don't like having your face exposed. Just hold my hand and I'll lead, okay? You can keep your head down if you want."
She put her hand in his and followed behind him. Keeping her head down so her dark violet hair hid her face. I'm…weak. I thought I was getting better. I didn't wear my mask when I was on vacation, but…when I think about everyone in class seeing my face. I shouldn't feel so afraid. Everyone's so nice and…Tsuyu-chan's mouth is kind of wide, like mine. But when I think about everyone seeing me…
Kirishima's hand felt warm against hers and he talked to her a little, to try to distract her as they walked. "You looked really cool out there, you know! I saw the way you blasted through those falling trees to protect everyone! You looked like a real pro hero!"
Her face burned pink and she glanced up at him. "…you…looked cool, too…when you used your quirk to break stuff apart…um…K-Kirishima…?"
He looked over his shoulder, red eyes focusing on her blue butterfly necklace. His eyebrows raised a bit and a small, sort of sad-looking smile took form on his face. "You know, I heard what you said to Bakugou on the bus," he started, speaking with hesitation. "Er. I mean, about wanting to date that upperclassman. I'm sorry! I know it's totally not manly to eavesdrop like that, but-!"
"…Bakugou…wouldn't listen to me, but I…um…" She felt his hand gently squeeze hers and it made her lift her gaze again.
Kirishima was usually cheerful, smiling. Right now, he looked disappointed. Crestfallen. He noticed her looking and forced a smile. "That guy makes you happy, though, right? Look, I just want what's best for you, Yuki. I want you to be happy. So if he makes you happy and you really like him, I'll support you! I'm your best friend, remember? And the manly thing to do is support your best friend when they need you!"
As enthusiastic as he sounded, as sweet as the sentiment was, Shirayuki still felt like her heart was being squeezed when she saw the sadness in his eyes. He was so sad, but he was pushing himself just for her. She took a deep breath and lifted her head. She had to be brave, too.
Her hand squeezed his and when she got his attention, she pushed her mask into her back pocket. "Kirishima, I…I'll ask my grandma to fix my mask…when I get home. I need to try to…go without my mask more." Her large, crimson eyes had a watery sheen to them when they met his, but she put on a smile. "And I…I'm really glad…that you're my best friend."
A pink tint rose to his cheeks and he grinned. "Awww! Come on, Yuki! You're going to make me start tearing up next!" He turned around and wiped at her tears. "It'll be okay. Look, if anybody says something mean to you, they'll answer to me."
She sniffled and shook her head. "…I can…I have to stand up for myself…"
"Hey! What're you doing?" Bakugou was approaching them from the side and when he saw her cheek bleeding, he scowled. "When'd that happen?" he demanded, stepping closer to the girl.
Shirayuki got the cut on her face treated while Kirishima stayed close. He seemed to be taking his best friend role even more seriously than before. The spiky-haired boy used himself as a buffer between her and Bakugou for the rest of the day. He even sat next to her at dinner, with Kaminari sitting on her other side.
"It's kind of weird seeing you without your mask," Kaminari pointed out. "I mean, you take it off when you eat, but-"
"Hey! Don't make her self-conscious."
"So what's up, though? Are you just trying a new look, Yuki?" Ashido gave her a curious head tilt from across the table.
"…my mask…got torn when I got hurt…"
Shift P.O.V
"You know staring at your phone isn't going to make a message pop up, right?" Nejire leaned close, staring down at his phone screen. "Wait! Tamaki, you haven't said anything to her since a few hours ago! And she replied, right? So what are you waiting for? You have to say something else if you want another response!"
His hands trembled as he gripped his phone. His face felt hot and the heat extended to the tips of his pointed ears. "I-I know that, I'm just…I don't know what to say. I want to ask her if she's having a good time, but I-I don't want to bother her. Would I be bothering her if I sent another message? What if she's busy?"
Mirio leaned over from his other side. "She might be busy right now, but if you send a message then she'll be able to read it later. I bet that would make her really happy to see a message from you!"
"But what…what should I say?" Amajiki glanced to his friends on either side of him and then back down to his phone. I'm not good with words. I'm not good with texting. What if I say the wrong thing? I just want to know she's having fun.
The other boy rubbed his chin for a moment as he considered it. "I guess just speak from your heart. Just type out exactly what you wanted to say to her. I mean, you can't really go wrong. Yuki's really into you! Whatever you say, she's going to appreciate the gesture!"
"F-from the heart?" His frown deepened and he fidgeted with his phone a little. It was easier said than done. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many questions he had. He still worried that he might be bothering her.
A hand rested on his shoulder as Nejire beamed at him. "Just be yourself! And don't worry about bothering her! It's like Mirio said; she's just going to appreciate that you were thinking of her! She's going to be so happy when she sees a message from you, Tamaki!"
"Right…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to push down all of his worries. Trying to think about Shirayuki. He felt his face getting warmer when he remembered their first kiss and holding hands with her when they slept during their vacation. The way she smiled at him and blushed. How happy she was with the necklace he gave her.
"Right. I-I can do this," he reassured himself. Amajiki's hands were still shaking and it took a few tries for him to type out everything. His thumb hovered over the "send" button and sweat beaded up along his forehead. "I'm…I'm really not bothering her? She's…going to be happy?" he asked one more time.
"Yep!" Nejire and Mirio both pushed down on his thumb to send the message to Shirayuki.
I hope she's okay. I hope she wasn't busy. His heart was pounding as he stared down at the screen, subconsciously holding his breath. Dread twisting in his stomach when he thought he might be annoying her. When his phone chimed with her response, he jolted and almost dropped it onto his lap.
"Oh! What'd she say?" His female friend closed her magazine and looked down at the screen curiously.
Amajiki opened the message and skimmed over it. A smile tugged at his lips and he finally relaxed, despite still blushing red. Shirayuki was happy to hear from him. She told him about everything she did so far at camp and he read it all with a smile until he came to the part about her getting hurt. "H-her mask got ripped. And she got hurt," he muttered, frowning.
Shift P.O.V
"You're talking to that upperclassman, right?"
Shirayuki jolted, almost dropping her phone. She looked up at Ashido through her hair and quickly glanced away, but nodded. "…he…wanted to make sure I'm doing alright…"
"Awww! Yuki, he sounds really sweet." The pink-haired girl sat on the futon with her and grinned. "Okay, so spill it! Tell me everything about your trip to the ocean. And you have to tell me about this guy, okay? I have to make sure he's good enough for my Yuki."
"…ah…um…w-well…" She started to tell her friend about when they first arrived at the ocean, but got self-conscious when the other girls approached to listen. I usually have my mask. Talking in front of people is difficult, but…talking in front of them without my mask is…
"You're dating an upperclassman? What is he like? Is he in the hero course, too?" Yaoyorozu questioned.
"That's pretty cool. How old is he? Seventeen or eighteen?" Jirou spoke.
"What agency is he doing his work study with?" Uraraka sat next to her on the futon, leaning in too close for Shirayuki's comfort level.
"…he's…um…he's in the hero course and he's…s-seventeen…" She lowered her head, but tucked her hair behind her right ear. "…ah…he's…doing his work study with Fat Gum's agency…he, um, he actually introduced me to him…well, uh, well it's more like…reintroduced me…my father knew Fat Gum…before…"
Ashido saw her starting to withdraw, fidgeting with the hairband on her wrist. She put a hand on Shirayuki's shoulder and gave her a small, reassuring smile. "It's okay. Hey, guys, is anyone else feeling totally wiped out after that trip down here? They could've at least warned us, right? I don't think these grass stains will ever wash out of my clothes!"
As the conversation changed and everyone's attention was redirected, Shirayuki tried to relax again. She messaged back and forth with Amajiki a few times, starting to smile a little. Hearing from him helped her focus on something. Helped take her mind off of her father, which had inevitably brought sadness. However, when Amajiki reluctantly said he had to go, her thoughts turned to her father once more.
I wonder what it was like…during his first summer training camp. He was friends with almost everyone. That's what Grandma always says. And he was always really confident. She slouched and let her hair fall forward over her face. Hikari-san…wasn't in the hero course. She wouldn't have gone to the training camp.
She drew her phone out of her pocket again. It was evening, but it was early evening. Her grandmother would still be awake. Sitting on the couch, watching television with the cats. Although, she was probably joined by Sayuri and Sayuri's daughter. It made her feel better to know her grandmother at least had some company.
"…I'm…going to call home…to check on my grandmother…" Shirayuki said this to Ashido, who gave her a nod.
"I'll go with you," the other girl offered.
They went outside, beneath the starry night sky, and Shirayuki scrolled to her home phone number. She was just going to tell her grandmother that she was alright. Telling her about getting hurt would just make the old woman worry and it was only the first day. She would tell her about the injury when she got home.
The phone rang. It continued to ring over and over until the old answering machine message picked up. As soon as she heard the recording, a heavy feeling settled over her. A sick sort of twisting in her gut. "…i-it's Ume…I just wanted to say…I made it to the training camp…I'm safe and I just…wanted to make sure you're alright…I'll be awake for a while so…you can call me…"
"What's wrong?" Ashido tilted her head, frowning.
"…my grandma…she didn't answer the phone…she usually answers…um…w-well I guess she might be busy, but…"
"She might just be asleep, right? It is getting kind of late." The pink-haired girl smiled. "She'll probably call you back tonight. Or tomorrow morning when she wakes up. I'm sure everything's okay."
"What the hell are you doing out here? I've been looking for you." Bakugou emerged from the building with Kirishima jogging after him to try to stop him.
"Come on, dude! I said to just let it go!"
"No! We need to talk, damn it! I'm not-!"
"Look! If that guy makes her happy, then you have to respect her choice!"