Home. (Eijiro Kirishima x Reader)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Hearing a sharp intake from the soldier behind me, I glance slightly over my shoulder to see him cupping the side of his face as he turned away— Respectful as always.

Of course, he makes no move to leave— After what happened today, I doubt he'd want to leave me alone again any time soon.

And I don't complain, the extra form of protection gives me a peaceful feeling— Knowing no harm would be coming to me with him nearby.

So once I'm free of my clothes, I use a few rocks near the edge to step into the chilled water— A shiver running up my spine from the sensation as I move into the water.

The gentle splashes from my movement fills the air as I walk through the glowing water— Dipping my head beneath the surface and after a few seconds I come back up for air.

And I can't help but sigh in relief, the cool water sending a sort of calm through out my body as I move through it.

Glancing up, Kirishima's back is still to me— His body slightly stiff as he stands at the opposite end of the lake, still in the same place I had left him.

"...Are you coming in?" I wonder, breaking the silence that bad found its way into the air and causing him to jump slightly from my sudden question.

"I— Uhm.." He sputters while I watch his back, my body dipping beneath the surface so only my upper body above my collar bone was visible.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." He states, and I nod as if he could see me.

"—It's alright, if you don't want to bathe I won't force you." I say, watching as he stood there for a few more minutes before slowly shifting in his spot.

"..You're covered, right?" He calls and I laugh lightly "I'm bathing, what do you expect?" I throw back and he lets out a nervous laugh of his own.

My eyes soften towards the poor soldier, slowly dipping my body further beneath the surface of the water so I wasn't completely naked in front of him.

"You can turn around, I'm covered." I finally answer, attempting to ease his nerves.

And he seems to believes my words, slowly turning and glancing over at me— I wave slightly in response, turning away to give him some privacy.

After a few seconds, I hear his garments land quietly on the grass before the sound of little splashes flicker through the air— Alerting he had climbed into the pond as well.

I turn around, my eyes locking onto his as he sat across the lake— And the conversation falls silent from there, my heart pounding too hard for me to really think of anything.

So I focus on cleaning myself, choosing to now ignore the crimson haired soldier as much as I could as I started scrubbing at my skin to remove any grime I had managed to collect throughout the day.

And after a while, a relaxing sigh falls past my lips— My head ducking beneath the surface once more before I come back up, sneaking a glance at the soldier every so often.

He had also dipped his head into the water, his crimson hair dripping downwards as he ran his hand through it— Ruffling the dirt and excess grime from his red locks.

And I don't realize I'm staring until he looks up, his crimson gaze meeting my own and causing a hue of colors to break onto both our features.

"..How are your cuts?" I ask, attempting to clear the tension that had built itself between us— Created by a simple look shared with our eyes.

"They sting a bit," He admits, turning away slightly to reach one of his hands back in an attempt to run at the wounds lining his back— A token from when his back got slammed into the rocks earlier.