Purple Band-Aids (ShinKami)

Chapter Twenty-Four

"What do you think we should do?"

Aizawa was definitely called because when Kaminari woke up, it was to Shinso and said teacher talking quietly.

"He needs a break."

"Yeah," Shinso answers.

Kaminari sits up and makes himself known.

The two look over at him.

"Cookies?"

He's still so tired, but Shinso said they'd make cookies.

"It would be good for you just to go downstairs with me, yeah. Just to get out of a dark room. We can talk," Shinso nods.

Kaminari feels warm at his words. He cares.

Shit. Don't cry. Don't cry.

The blond just nods, not feeling that fuzziness from before.

Then he tenses at the events from an hour or two before. Bakugo and his mom yelling. Him freaking out so bad that he checked out and Bakugo worrying over him.

God he owes Bakugo something spicy.

"Where's Bakugo?"

Shinso and Aizawa look at him.

"He's probably in his dorm. Why?" Aizawa asks.

"I need to apologize for freaking out on him. Also about my mom."

Mr. Aizawa gets this look on his face. "You do not need to apologize about your mom. Her actions affected you the most. I'm glad Bakugo was there to stand up for you. Maybe it's embarrassing since there were other classmates there, but Bakugo couldn't just watch your mom tear you down after you've already been so stressed."

Kaminari is biting the inside of his cheek again.

"Okay."

He shouldn't apologize?

Even if Yukako's actions affected him the most, she still affected others. It wasn't only him.

He'll give his cookies to Bakugo as an apology.

Shinso pokes his arm and he looks up. He's offering a gum to him. Silently pointing out his problem and Kaminari takes it with a small nod as thanks.

Once he's chewing, he looks up at Mr. Aizawa who's stayed quiet for that small exchange.

"Bakugo told me that you clocked out when he and your mom were yelling. Has that happened before?"

Kaminari goes to shake his head, but he remembers a few instances where something got too hard for him so he just kind of drifted.

"Not a lot."

Mr. Aizawa takes a sharp breath.

"When does this happen?"

Usually when my dad would fu-

He doesn't know how to word it.

"When stuff is stressful."

The meaning behind it is loud and it leaves an uncomfortable feeling lingering in the air.

The entire time, both Shinso and Mr. Aizawa have kept their hands to themselves, but Kaminari can tell that his teachers wants to hug him.

He can't handle that right now.

The thought of a hug makes his skin crawl, wanting to scratch at it hard.

Instead, he just buries his nails into his palm. His hand is under the blanket, so they won't notice. He keeps chewing the gum.

"I think you should go to one of your counseling sessions," Mr. Aizawa advises.