Dusk was finally approaching the sky after what seemed like an eternity. Bakugo, Sero, Kaminari, Mina, and Kirishima all could feel the effects of an entire days' worth of travel finally creep up onto them. Even though all five were battle hardened warriors, it's not as if they had a limitless supply of energy. When they finally stumbled onto a small clearing in the forest they decided the time to set up camp was now. They gathered their supplies and Bakugo used his surprisingly adept cooking skills to whip up a meal that filled them. After a pleasant round of the usual jokes and remarks of the day's happenings, all of them started to drift asleep once the darkness finally consumed the sky.

The night was still and cool. A breeze blew through the air in a chill that would make a person shiver. The silence was disturbed by the stoking of a fire in the middle of a camp. The five companions were holed up around the flame. Most fast asleep due to the travel during the day.

From the outside looking in the group seemed unusual. That would not even begin to scratch the surface of the shaky dynamic held between them, but it was still there. An insuperable connection tying them together towards an impossible quest, which seemed like a far off dream many months ago, but is now all the closer to reality. Yes, there were many more that made up the party to retrieve the "One for All", however these five had gone separate as part of the recon squadron. To make sure the danger was not too great before the precious "cargo" was to be transported. Of course, each of the them had a way of defending themselves from typical bandits and beasts. Though this quest had been far removed from typical. There was an underlying sense of dread that went unspoken, and it had finally come to a head for a certain red-haired boy.

The sole one out of the party still awake in the twilight with his head faced towards the fire that he was supposed to put out hours ago. Yet his hands would tremble whenever he was ready to douse the flames. Thus, he would have to be content with staring blankly at the fire, his thoughts slowly but surely creeping into his head. Doubt and uncertainty were beginning to plague his mind and he had an urge to scream out into the forest but he held back. Lord only knew what Bakugo would do to him if he woke him up over something so trivial.

"Kiri? Are you ok?" a meager voice spoke to him. Startled he turned towards the source and looked straight into the black eyes of Mina Ashido. There were multiple answers that he could have told her. Most of them would only have heightened the worried look she was giving him, so he chose the one that was easiest.

"Couldn't sleep…"

"Yeah, I noticed, that's not what I asked you." she struck back in a whispered tone. She had a feeling she knew what this was about, and while she cared for him, she was also exhausted.
"I'm just thinking y'know," he sighed out, "about everything that's happened so far."

A small hum was the only response Mina gave him. She made her way over to the log he was sitting on and sat right down next to him. Thighs practically stuck together. Her silence was telling him to keep going until he was done. Why did it have to be her who woke up?

"Well we're on a quest to save the Kingdom of Yuuei, by helping out the successor of All Might. We get stuck into the impossible situations where we've just barely managed to make it out alive. If we keep going like this out luck is bound to run out and the smile I've been putting on is the only thing distracting me from losing my mind and running. I'm just not stro-"

"You are strong", Mina interrupted.

Kirishima's eyes widened and he finally looked at her since she sat down. He was about disagree when she placed her finger over his lips. She had a small smile strewn across her face that indicated to him it was her turn to talk.

"Kirishima what's your magic? Don't answer because it was rhetorical. Your skin becomes as hard as rock. Innuendo aside, it's simple compared to the rest of us. I can spray acid from my mouth because of a demon, I'm pretty sure Bakugo could blow up an entire mountain with his hands if he got angry enough, which, I'm surprised hasn't happened yet. Sero can shoot spider webs out of his arms and Kaminari aside from the drawback of turning into a fool could shock anyone within a 20-foot radius. Yet here you are on equal footing with all of us. Not because you're flashy but because you're strong. Stronger than anyone of us give you credit for. Sero might have his spider webs but you're the one who holds us together. You're 'fake' smile is like a ray of damn sunshine and it helps that your sharp teeth make it even cuter.

Sure, somethings might get past your skin. Like when Bakugo tore into you that one practice session, or when we met Midoriya and we had no idea what he was capable of. But the fact is, you kept coming back. You might not be completely unbreakable. But that's not why you're strong. It's because when you have something you want to protect, you're unstoppable."

Tears were starting to blur his vision. Threatening got release the tension built up, it took everything he had to muster "Then why do I still feel so weak?"

"Well I said you were strong, I didn't say you were the strongest. But I know you, you can get there. You might not be as flashy as Midoriya, or Bakugo, or heaven forbid Todoroki, but you don't need to be. You should just be your regular manly self, and you'll find a way to shine through. It's why I fell in love with you after all."

At that Kirishima's jaw fell open. He was sure Mina misspoke when he noticed that her cheeks were a deep lilac. Even under the flickering flames he could see the panic that was plastered on her beautiful face.
"You know what!" she exclaimed a little too loudly, "forget about that last part so for now just head to bed and get some sleep. See you in the morning." She lifted herself immediately off the log and contemplated jumping over Bakugo, if it meant putting as much distance between them as possible. Before she could go through with it her hand was seized by a much rougher one. Did he activate his...?

"Wait" Kirishima muttered. It was so faint that Mina thought she imagined it. But as he stood up to face her she knew she wasn't imagining anything right now. While every ounce of her being told her not to, she turned around to face him. His face was almost the same color of his hair and his eyes felt like they were looking right through her shared body. She felt his hand tremble and his grip wavering but she made no sudden movements. Not even when he took a step forward, then another. He took one more and they were so close they could feel each other's warmth at this point. She was staring right at his neck that seemed almost tempting at this point but she held back. A single finger touched her chin and her face was raised up slowly but surely until they made eye contact once more. There was no longer any trembling and it was if the entire world had disappeared into the abyss and the only things that were left were the two of them. Kirishima leaned his head forward just enough so that Mina knew what to do. They both closed their eyes and their lips touched ever so gently. It was a simple chaste kiss that may have lasted only a few moments, yet it felt like an eternity before they finally parted.

Mina opened her eyes to notice his staring right back at hers. Before Mina could say a word Kirishima beat her to it, "Thank you." There it was, there was the moment they would both look back upon after their journey had ended. Where they would be able to know for certainty is the moment they knew they would never want to be apart from the other. No other words were said, they didn't need to be. Mina separated herself and went back to her spot to finally let sleep take her once more. Kirishima stood there for a few more moments, basking in what just happened. Assuring himself it was all real, he finally grasped the water jug and put out the fire that was witness to their moment. He lay down in his designated spot and closed his eyes. No black clouds of doubt invading his mind, the only thing he dreamt of that night, was pink.