pyrexia [ ,, KIRIBAKU ]

chapter four

It had been a week. A week of being cold towards almost all of his friends. A week of Kirishima being desperately confused and hurt. A week of Katsuki failing.

"Bakugou, I'm serious." Aizawa said firmly, giving him another lecture. "I don't know what's going on with you, but you need to stay in your dorm and deal with it there. We can't have you causing drama, even if you aren't sick anymore." His gaze softened briefly, placing a calloused hand on Katsuki's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Katsuki was half zoned out, lethargy and fatigue written all over his face. Dark eye bags hung beneath his dull, murky carmine gaze, eyes rimmed with red. "No." He muttered, looking up at the taller man and then looking away narrowly. The classroom was hot, air stuffy and odd-smelling. A mix of sweat and some sort of food. Maybe chips.

"Go to your dorm." Aizawa scribbled on a paper and handed it to the sick young man, despite school already being out . Katsuki made his way out of the classroom, brushing past Kirishima, who had been waiting for him. "Fuck off, Kirishima." Katsuki stated coldly as Kirishima laid a hand on his shoulder. Kirishima visibly flinched.

His hair was messier than usual, not spiked up quite as nicely. "Please. Please, Katsuki. I'm begging you." Kirishima pleaded, trying to make the blond look at him. "I'll do anything. It's driving me fucking mad, Katsuki. What did I do wrong? I'm your neighbor, and your.. your best friend." He could hear the tears in Kirishima's crimson eyes. He didn't look, though, keeping his face cold and emotionless.

"I said fuck off. Get your hand off of me." Katsuki jerked the soft hand from his shoulder, and kept walking. He kept walking until he reached his dorm, which he locked the door for, and threw his backpack off. His shoes were discarded at the door. Cool air filtered inside his room, thanks to the fan blowing directly at him.

Katsuki sat with his back against the wall, at the head of his bed. The air blew onto his face, relieving the heat from outside. All of the sudden, a song began to thump from the other room, sounding through the walls - though, it was muffled.

Road shimmer, wiggling in the vision
Heat, heat waves always swimming in the-

Sometimes all I think about is you, late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been fakin me out, can't make you happier now

Katsuki's breath caught in his throat. It was Kirishima's room. He leaned his head back against the wall, shutting his eyes. Only ten minutes into the song, he became away of a pattering. Rain. His eyes flew open, looking to the rain. It was darker outside, clouds gathered. When he opened the window, it was still hot. The wind was humid, hot and thick with the scent of midnight rains. He shut the window, sighing and going limp against the wall.

Unbeknownst to him, a redhead sat in the same position on the opposite side of the wall, his eyes shut against the silent tears that threatened at his lids. His emotions in a train wreck, confusion written all over him, he couldn't help but imagine what the blonde he cared for was doing in that moment. What he was feeling.

Katsuki sat against the wall like that for hours, heart yearning for something he knew he could never get. The rain had stopped, but the song hadn't. It was probably a loop. He didn't even cry. Maybe he was too dehydrated, or had simply run out of tears to cry. He just sat, not resisting the imaginary situations that could've been. Maybe in another life.

"Sometimes all I think about is you..." Katsuki breathed along with the verse, eyes opening to stare at the ceiling. "....Late nights in the middle of june."

In the semi-darkness, Katsuki found himself wishing he could tell Kirishima everything. Tell him what he was feeling, how sorry he was, everything. How he wished the redhead wasn't so fucking perfect. Oh, how he wished he wasn't gay.

But, it was a lie. He was so adoring of Kirishima. He wouldn't give anything in the world for these feelings. For his 'best friend'.

His skin felt dry, but, not too hot. The tepid air blew around him, ruffling his blond spikes. He pulled his phone out, hesitating. Then, he opened up the message thread between he and Kirishima. His hands were sweating slightly, as he typed out a message. The first one this week.

me 'i'm so sorry'

But, he didn't send it, instead shutting off the device and closing his eyes once again. He began to doze off to the music, finally relaxing despite the earlier encounter. The exhaustion washed over him like waves on the beach, sucking him into a dreamless sleep.

When Katsuki woke up, it was still dark. He began to fumbled around for his phone, but stopped himself. He didn't want to know the time. He sighed, eyes flicking slowly over his room. It was incredibly hard to see, so he opened one of the curtains, letting the moonlight spill into his room.

Rain was falling again, pattering gently. Katsuki's carmine optics flickered with tiredness. Not from sleep deprivation, not from from waking up. He was tired of hiding his feelings. Especially when it so clearly affected his group. His extras.

The drained blond opened his window, all feelings of tiredness vanishing in a second. Cool wind blew into his room, smelling of rain and refreshment. Barely hesitating, Katsuki opened the other window and pulling his windows up, letting the air inside. Without a second thought, he dashed out of his room and up to the top story.

He didn't give a shit about how late it was, it was finally cool. And, on top of that, it was raining. He ran up the stairs to the roof, closing the roof-access door behind him. Rain sank into his clothes and skin as Katsuki tilted his head up to the partly-cloudy skies.

"Ah, fuck." He breathed, letting a genuine smile take over his lips. Moving away from the door, he laid down on the wet roof and then just.. breathed.

The cool droplets ran down his face, soaking his clothes and hair, but he couldn't bring himself to give a shit. Katsuki didn't even notice the other male who was staring at him as if star-struck, sitting against one of the ledges with his hair dripping and clothes soaked.

Katsuki's eyes shut, breathing in the fresh, crisp air. He relished it, opening his eyes again to look at the stars. Yes, there were few, but it was enough for Katsuki.

It was only then that he noticed the other male, and his breath hitched. But, he didn't run. Instead, he moved to the ledge and sat against it, only two or three feet from Kirishima.

The pair sat in a silence, a comfortable one. Nothing but the rain and the occasional car disturbed the peace between them, as if it was a truce.

But it didn't last long, "Why're you up at four in the morning, Katsuki?" Kirishima asked hesitantly, taking Katsuki by surprise.

He was silent for a minute. Why was he up at four in the morning? His eyes flicked to the sky, never straying to Kirishima's eyes. "You'll know eventually." He responded vaguely, voice unusually soft. Kirishima let out a breathy chuckle, and Katsuki added, "You..?"

"I've got Heatwaves stuck in my head, and.. you know, feelings." Kirishima trailed off slowly, humming the tune to the song. Now it was Katsuki's turn to chuckle. The sound soon turned to a warm, genuine laugh, sounding off the roof and echoing slightly.

When he caught his breath, Kirishima was looking at him with tears in his eyes, lips pulled into a shaky smile. Katsuki tilted his head, eyes narrowing in confusion. "Why are you crying?.."

"I missed you so fucking much, Katsuki." Kirishima's voice was wavering, "All I've been able to think about is you." The words sent Katsuki's stomach into butterflies.

Sometimes all I think about is you

Kirishima grabbed Katsuki's shoulders, hugging him tightly. Katsuki sat stunned for a moment before sinking into the embrace, breathing in the red hots-cinnamon soap that Kirishima always used. "Fuck. I missed you too, idiot."

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