The Universe Listened | Kiribaku

A lifeless face that you'll soon forget

"Hello, Earth to Shitty Hair," Katsuki said, standing in front of the light in just the right way. It illuminated his slim figure, creating a blurry blob of distorted shadows for Kirishima to see when he finally found the will to lift his head up. Katsuki's spiky hair was messily outlined, and his arms seemed to blend in with the rest of his body when they weren't flying around as he spoke. It was a messy image, blurry and unfinished, but it was all Kirishima had so he soaked it in, did his best to remember it, a fruitless effort. He could sit there all day trying to reconjure the outline of Katsuki's body later on and he'd fail. Every time.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening," he replied out loud, still lost somewhere in his mind.

"I know you weren't. That's the problem." Katsuki sighed heavily and sat next to Kirishima. "What're you thinking about?"

"What? Nothin'."

Katsuki scoffed and poked Kirishima right between the eyes. "Your fucking shitty eyebrows are furrowed and it's like you're not even here. Don't go lying to me, Kirishima."

Kirishima resisted the urge to smile. Katsuki, mean and crude and vulgar, gave a shit somewhere deep down.

"Ah... well, what if I fuck up? And like... what if we don't win because I fucked up? A small misstep can cause so many points to be lost and likeー"

"Shut the fuck up," Katsuki cut him off, rubbed his temples, let out a breath as he turned to face Kirishima. "Just. Shut. The. Fuck. Up. This worrying over stupid shit is what's going to cause you to fail. Shitty Hair, I've seen you dance. On stage and off. Not once did you fuck up so shut the hell up with that bullshitー" a pause so he could catch his breathー"because you're talented as fuck and those judges, those dumb pretentious cunts are going to think just the same."

He blinked. All he could do was blink as his brain soaked up the words. Was that Katsuki's idea of a compliment? Something nice mashed between a bunch of curse words and an insult directed to other people? So strange.

"Oh, well, uh Iー Thanks?" Kirishima stammered.

"We've got this, Shitty Hair. It's you and me, and I know you haven't seen us dance, but I have. I know those extras have no fucking chance."

"I mean... Yeah, I'm nervous but I'll be fine," Kirishima told his friends, a smile on his face as he stepped into his classroom, leaving them behind. He didn't have to be able to see them to know that their jaws were slacked and their mouths were left hanging open at the sudden confidence radiating off him.

"They grow up so fast," Mina said. She pretended to wipe a tear away from her eye.

"They really do," Kaminari replied.

-

This was their last practice. The last time they would dance in that practice room together before they went on stage. It was probably going to be the second to last time they dance together. Ever.

The song they had picked out was playing from one of the speakers Mina let them borrow, and you'd think after all the time they spent dancing together, touching and getting to know each other, they'd finally be able to actually finish the routine. But they couldn't, because as Kirishima went to drag his hands down Katsuki's face, he was stopped and pushed away. K

"Katsuki, bro, we have to be able to actually win." Kirishima sighed.

"You don't think I know that? I fucking know that."

"C'mere," Kirishima said and sat in the middle of the room.

Katsuki reluctantly sat in front of him, knowing full well what Kirishima was about to do. He started at Katsuki's hands and pressed their fingertips together, then their palms. Soon, Kirishima's delicate hands were feeling down one of the smoothest parts of Katsuki's arm, up under his shirt to feel his muscles tense underneath his touch, and soon his hands were feeling Katsuki's pulse rise on his neck. He felt the warmth follow his touch all the way up to his cheeks, where the heat seemed to come to a sudden halt. Kirishima ran his hand along the untouched part of Katsuki's face, where he felt the small bumps of what he assumed to be pimples.