Roses Are Red [Kiribaku]

Rose Thorns Remain a Pain

And goddamn, he had called it. He knew another conversation like this would happen eventually. Katsuki just pursed his lips. "Yeah...? Should I not be?"

"No, no, not that, it's just..." Kirishima's shoulders fell in some sort of defeat. "I dunno, it's probably stupid but, I've been worried about you a lot lately."

"Why?"

"Just a week or two ago, you were acting all funny. You kept leaving classes, and training. You didn't look too well, you apparently got so sick that you had to go home, when we have Recovery Girl here! I was... super concerned." Kirishima shrugged, but he went quiet, as if waiting for an answer.

Katsuki didn't want to respond. Maybe it was that he couldn't respond, he didn't know. But regardless, his silence only encouraged Kirishima to speak more.

"For a while there you weren't talking to me either, or to anyone else," The redhead scratched at his chin. "Which, I suppose isn't too unusual for you, but it almost seemed like you were avoiding me. You haven't been training that much, most of the time Mr. Aizawa won't even let you. Even today, these past few hours, you... you haven't been acting like yourself."

"So?" Katsuki managed to grumble out. "It's not your business."

"But as your bro, I'm making it my business." The look on his face was determined, resolute, but his voice was so soft. "What happened? Is... is there something wrong?"

Katsuki could only stare blankly at him. He didn't have to answer, he knew that. He had never told anyone before, he didn't want to ever have to. But the room was so quiet, filled with Kirishima's worry nearly palpable in the air. It was so much. Katsuki closed his eyes, let out a slow breath.

"I'm sick," he answered plainly, voice breaking for just a moment. "Really sick."

"Oh." Kirishima froze at that, his lips downturned, eyebrows creased in concern. "...Is it serious?" he finally managed to ask in a low whisper. "Like... just how 'really sick' are we talking here?"

"It's whatever. It'll go away."

"Oh." Kirishima blinked.

Katsuki's nonchalance seemed to simultaneously relieve and and perplex him. The blond had hoped it had be enough to ease his curiosity, but with the way Kirishima was lingering, teeth gnawing at his bottom lip, he could just tell that he had created more questions than answers. Questions that he didn't want to talk about. So he stay put, sitting in his chair, watching his fidgeting fingers. Waiting for Kirishima to take his cue to leave.

"Bakugou..." Kirishima began, and it suddenly struck Katsuki just how close they were. How close their shoulders were to brushing against each other. " We've been through a lot together, right?"

That they had. Katsuki thought back to the USJ. Back to the training camp. Back to his rescue from the villains. Memories that used to fill him up with emotions, so many that it was overwhelming. Frustration at not being able to overcome on his own. Relief at being saved. The feeling like he had finally found someone he could rely on, and confide in, for the first time in his life. It was all replaced by static.

"And after all of that..." Kirishima was searching his eyes. Searching his soul. "You do know I care about you, right?"

He could only shrug. The static in his head was jarring, overwhelming all of his other emotions. Why was it there? Why did it feel like he was losing something?

"Now, I don't know exactly what you're going through, and you don't have to tell me or anything. But, I want to help you if I can. Is there anything I can do?"