~~~
Akira had a trillion thoughts invade her that night. Most of them had her questioning her morals and what kind of person she currently is. She's contemplating disregarding her partner so she can work on her evolving her Quirks so she can save her father. But, Kirishima is now. He's infront of her and something is wrong.
He pulled away just before they shared a loving embrace, even after initiating their romance yesterday. It was him that complimented her. He was the one to make her feel that way by caressing her features. She could still sense his cold tremor on her face as she lay motionless in her bed, staring up at her ceiling as she reflected on how her emotions soared that evening.
Kira still has six months to save her father. Today is for Kirishima. Especially since it's his birthday.
Kira dragged herself out of bed, getting ready with a determined rush. First, they had to get their lessons out of the way and then it's all about Kirishima.
Kira smoothed down her skirt as she swung her door open, her bag over one shoulder. Surprisingly, Bakugou seems to be waiting outside his door, his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently on the ground.
"What the hell, shitty hair?" She hears him grumble from across the hall.
Kira tentatively decides to approach the angered student. "Something wrong?"
"Yes," he snaps instantly. "Shitty hair hasn't come out of his room yet."
"Right," Kira says, nodding in remembrance. "Because you two walk to school together every morning."
He only huffs in response.
"Well, have you tried knocking?"
"Of course I have!" He retaliates.
Kira looks thoughtfully at her partner's door. "It's not like Kirishima to be late."
With a shrug, Kira opens her partner's door, half expecting him to still be fast asleep. But, it's empty.
"That idiot made me wait and he's not even here?" Bakugou returns to his irritated state. "When I find him I'm gonna-"
"I'm just glad he's up and about," Kira says quietly, her eyes still locked on Kirishima's neat and tidy room.
The bed has been made, the sheets tucked under the mattress at the corners, his desks are aligned and the objects upon them are straight and clean. The red punching bag hangs ominously by the open curtains.
Kira looks up to the right at Bakugou when he remains silent. "Don't you think we should tell someone?" She wonders.
"About what?" Bakugou meets her gaze.
She tilts her head at his question. "About Kirishima. How he's acting and how he feels."
"What's to tell?"
Bakugou shrugs at Kira's suggestion and she nearly implodes, turning her body to him fully after closing Kirishima's dorm with a soft click.
"Don't just brush this off," Kira says sternly. "Something happened to him yesterday. And now... he's not even here."
Bakugou turns to the lift, immediately dismissing her worries.
"Hey! Doesn't he wait for you here?" She pushes. "Every day?"
Bakugou stops with his back to her and she spots his shoulders sag.
"Yeah, he does."
"Yesterday, he..." She pauses, suddenly remembering who she's speaking to. She should really save her thoughts for the girls - they'll understand a heck of a lot more than Bakugou.
"He what?" Bakugou asks, a curious tinge in his tone.
Kira looks down at the carpeted floor between them, separating them. "It's nothing, actually."
"If it's bothering you, then it's something," he answers, his head turned to the right ever so delicately.
"Not something you'll ever understand," she decides to say.
Bakugou scoffs at her reply. "Suit yourself."
Kira kept her eyes on Bakugou as he waited for the lift to take him down to the ground floor. Her main priority right now was to find her partner and figure out what's going on inside his mind. What haunting thoughts does he possess? How can she help?
Kira takes the lift down, after it had dropped off Bakugou, clutching her bag strap with a death grip as it hung limp on her shoulder. It was early still - some of the students were still sleeping after a long night of planning.
As soon as the lift arrived at the ground floor, her eyes darted left and right for the familiar head of hair she's grown to love. Midoriya was awake, chatting to Iida vigorously about something. Ochaco, Momo and Tsu were on the sofa's, relaxed in their school uniforms. Sero and Shoji were deep in conversation in the kitchen and Bakugou seemed to be helping himself to his breakfast, ignoring the chatty duo beside him.
No Kirishima.
"Midoriya," Kira greets her friend. "You seen Kirishima?"
"Oh," Midoriya frowns at her question. "He's not in his dorm? I know he likes to walk with Kacchan to school."
"Yeah, I know," she says. "But Bakugou was waiting for him but he's not in his dorm and he didn't see him leave."
"Kirishima's missing?" Iida cuts in.
"Missing?" Kira repeats. "No, I'm sure he just got an early start to school."
"It's unlike Kirishima," Midoriya points out. "Is everything okay?"
Kira nods quickly, putting on a smile. "Everything's fine. I just... had a... disagreement with him last night and wanted to make up."
"Oh, well, I'll let you know if I see him."
"Thanks."
Even if Kirishima decided to leave the dorms behind for the morning, she knows him too well - Kirishima isn't really a morning person. He can't be far.
So, she made sure to grab an apple from the fruit bowl before she raced out the front doors of the dormitory. If Kirishima's made such an effort to get out of here before anyone else woke up, he may have 'forgotten' to eat.
The fact that Kirishima was so determined to be ready before anyone else, even before Iida... It concerned her.
Sure enough, Kira wasn't far behind her beloved, as she saw him up ahead, approaching the large UA barricade.
"Kirishima!" She calls to him. "What the hell are you doing?"
She tried her best to sound more concerned and less accusatory, but his expression told her he received the latter in her tone. Perhaps her own features told a different side of her.
Kira slapped the apple into Kirishima's hand and all he does is stare down at it, before pocketing it.
Kira narrows her eyes slightly. "Are you avoiding me?" She asks when he doesn't reply.
"No." It was a blatant lie. "I just wanted to get an early start."
"Kirishima," she sighs, looking down at the floor for a moment. "You... Bakugou was pretty confused this morning."
A flash of guilt in his once bright eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologising to me?"
No answer, just a mere, useless shrug. A shrug that echoed exhaustion, not lack of consideration.
"This has to do with what happened last night, right?" She urges, trying to get to the bottom of his vague behaviour. "What happened? I thought we were... we were okay."
"We are," he tells her.
"Yeah?" She raises her brows at his response. "It sure doesn't feel like it." She sighs again, growing irritable at the conversation. "Let's just... forget about what happened last night. Does this - right now - have anything to do with what happened during the Shie Hassaikai raid?"
Kirishima meets her eyes once more at the mention of the once notorious gang, confirming her suspicions.
"What's it gonna take to make you feel like yourself again?" Akira wonders, her voice full of a longing for her partner.
Silence. If Kirishima is still indeed shrouded by negativity, then opening up about it is a surefire way of starting to heal. Of starting to overcome it.
"Kiri-"
"Honestly, I'm fine," he interrupts, his tone snappish. "You're just making it worse," he mutters as he heads into UA.
Kira watches him skulk away, her jaw slack. "I'm..." She stammers, his words echoing in her mind again and again. "I'm what?" She races to catch up to him, some hesitancy in her steps.
"What happened to me," he adds, as he marches up the steps to UA. "It's my problem. The week I spent in the hospital, recovering, I had a lot of time to just think about everything that's happened these past months." He stops walking abruptly, turning to her. "And you know what's changed?"
She shakes her head, afraid to speak.
"Nothing," he says harshly. "Absolutely nothing." He pushes open the double doors, his hand gripping the handle so hard, it looks like he may just snap it clean off, even without the strength of his Quirk.
"I'm... making it worse?" She says quietly.
Kirishima's hand freezes on the door handle. "I just- I need some time."
"Time?"
He looks at her again, his eyes full of regret, but also a hidden sense of determination. "Yeah," he whispers. "Time to get my priorities straight."
Kira feels like she's just been slapped - her own words being thrown in her face.
"Like I said," Kira says, her voice quieter now. She lets her hands drop next to her legs. "Other priorities."
"Priority?" He repeats, slowly getting back to his feet. "I hope that's not all I am."
"What?" Kira frowns. "No, tha- that's not what I meant and you know it."
"Oh," she responds meekly.
"Listen," he sighs, shrugging his bag further up his shoulder. "I feel like I'm falling behind, okay? Everybody else in class is leagues ahead of me. If I wanna become a hero, I have to focus on me."
"That sounds awfully like final words," Kira says, feeling the beginning of tears itching her eyes.
"No, no," he blurts out, grabbing her shoulders. "I don't wanna lose you. I said I'm falling behind and I am, I know I am. I just..." He pauses, searching for the right words. "I feel like you're the only one capable of reaching out to me when I feel myself slipping through the cracks."
"You're not... slipping, Kiri," she tells him, as he lowers his arms slowly.
"I was." He nods slightly. "For a while there, I thought I'd simply..." He trails off, diminishing that hateful thought.
This time, Akira reaches out, grabbing his wrists securely in her palms. "I'm with you, Eijiro," she promises. "You know that."
"Yeah," he says with a slight scoff. "I just need to improve my abilities, the way you have, the way Bakugou has, the way Midoriya has."
Kira looks down at the ground, not wanting to release her grip on her partner. There's truth and sense in his words. After all, they're all trying their hardest to overcome their weaknesses and be the best people they can be. Heroes.
"I get it," she whispers, after a brief hesitation. "We all have a lot of catching up to do."
Kira would be a hypocrite not to allow Kirishima the time to improve his Quirk. Especially since she had granted that same wish upon herself ever since she learnt of her fathers fate. Space is exactly what she needs right now.
"Happy birthday, Kirishima," she tells him, finally letting go of his arms.
He flashes her a warm smile, bidding his thanks before vanishing down the hall of UA.
The distant buzz of chatter from Kira's classmates caught up to her, as she stood motionless near the entrance to the school. All she could do was watch her beloved in silence, the morning sun creating a warm haze around his form as he sauntered down the hall, a new goal set in stone.
Time. Space. She can do that. But for how long? She already wanted to race after him, reach out to him, feel his cold, yet firm arms around her body like she has so many times before.
His thoughts have been haunting him since the Shie Hassaikai raid, plaguing him with constant negativity, overcome with a uselessness that Kira herself feels all too familiar with. They're in the same boat and need to focus on themselves in order to reach their goals. But, she longed for him. His charisma, his passion, his optimism. Lately, he'd been missing those few, special traits that made Kirishima the unique individual that Kira's come to grow fond of.
Dare she say fond? Had the tingly feeling in her gut, the same one she felt floating around her body last night, signified something else?
Could it be-
"Kiriya!" Midoriya snatches her from her clouding thoughts and she spins to him, blinking away expressive tears. "Did you find him?"
"Who?" She frowns, still lost in her own bubble. "Oh! Yes," she says bluntly. "Found him."
"And you made up?"
Kira nods. "Yep, everything's good."
"Good," Iida cuts in, swinging his arms about the place to instruct the students. "Now everyone needs to swiftly make their way to homeroom. Lessons start in precisely one minute and thirty seven seconds."
"Alright, alright." Kaminari waves a lazy hand, stifling a yawn. "We're going, we're going."
Kira allowed a mild chuckle to escape her lips at Kaminari's response, but as her classmates filtered past her towards homeroom, she was already overwhelmed, and classes hadn't even started yet. All she could do was respect Kirishima's wishes, though every inch of her was screaming for his comfort. Him being alone... it didn't feel right.
Bakugou was one of the few that passed her, his head hung low and his body tense as usual, ready to snap at anybody who dared to strike up a conversation with him.
"Bakugou," she speaks up, jogging to join him, as he hung back and to the left from the others, close to the wall. "It's okay now - I found Kirishima."
"So?" He doesn't even look at her.
"Well..." She feels deflated by his response. "In case you were worried, because he always-"
"I wasn't worried!" He yells, his eyes focused on the ground, as he grips his bag tight to his body.
"Okay," she says quietly, not really sure how to talk him anymore. "Nevermind."
Kira quickens her pace, her shoes tapping on the shiny floors rapidly, not wanting to hear any more words come out of Bakugou's mouth, especially if he's in a foul mood. With how things are currently with Kirishima, the last thing she needs is to be insulted.
Because she just knows that Bakugou's natural response is to hurt those around him.
"Wait."
And she does. Despite her thoughts drilling into her skull, Kira contradicts herself, ignoring the warnings she had just implemented in her mind about her classmate. She doesn't turn to the tone of his voice, now quiet and different.
"Is shitty hair okay?" He asks, sounding genuine.
Kira wants to turn, to see what sort of expression Bakugou might reveal, but her legs wouldn't listen, as if they had been glued in place by her hammering heart.
"I thought you didn't care."
Movement behind her, as if Bakugou's shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I never said that."
Kira sighs heavily, trying to determine the truths behind Bakugou's words. One minute he's dismissive, the next he's expressing concern. She's rattled and tired and confused - clouded by too many different emotions from too many different people. She didn't want to be included with someone who changes their mind so easily.
"He's fine," Kira decides to tell him, not sure how much she should reveal.
Kira hears the harsh scoff behind her, followed by the rapid steps of Bakugou's shoes and her pulse quickens, feeling his presence close the gap between them.
"You're a real shitty liar," he says, the warmth of him scooping her up like a tidal wave.
Kira can't think of a suitable response, as Bakugou brushes past her, making a beeline for homeroom without even offering her a sideways glance. She had held her tongue, her mind drawing a blank when usually she's so quick for a reply when it comes to Katsuki Bakugou.
Kira tries her best to shake off the feelings that have come from this disquieting morning. After all, she had classes to overcome.
~~~