Shoot Your Shot - MHA College AU

Scene 16: Letting Go

{ Scene 16: Letting Go }

The mass inside had begun to diffuse across the house. Clusters of friends huddled around couches, throwing playing cards around the coffee table. A few stragglers occupied the countertops as they sipped from solo cups. 

You breathed in the skunky scent before you even caught sight of the smoke drifting through the kitchen, a dirty glass bong floating around grasping hands. Hanging onto the doorframe, searching through the bodies and pounding music, you couldn't see Kirishima, let alone, any of your close friends. It seemed like only moments ago, you were humming in the early evening sun, drying soapy dishes next to the boys in this very same place.

Another shoulder shoved into you, causing your feet to wobble from your perch. Without your friends here, you were just another stranger in the crowd.

You sighed, feeling the frustration crawling up your neck. Maybe they were upstairs.

Carefully brushing past a sloppy couple on the stairs and nearly tripping over a crumpled can, you made it to the hallway. Bakugo's door was locked, and so was the spare closet. Just in case, you peaked into the bathroom, but besides the forgotten drinks and the scattered hair products, it was unoccupied.

Kirishima's bedroom was the last place to check. Shuffling down the carpeted hall, you could hear their voices. But something felt, off. Again. Mina and Kirishima's conversation of hushed tones struck your curiosity. They were some of the last people to put on a serious front, especially at a party.

You had to push down the lurking jealousy that refused to let go. Lingering in the dim hallway, you stood pressed to the wall, hidden from the yellow light leaking out from the door.

You bit your tongue. This was the second time tonight that you'd eavesdropped on them. It was forgivable one time, but again? Only a few hours later? You had to get over yourself and take the jealousy and the miscommunication and the uncertainty and just bite it in the bud already.

"– and... I think I have feelings for Bakugo."

A chill ran through you. Frozen in place, you had to make sure you weren't just hearing things.

Mina winced.

"Is he...? Does he swing that way?"

"I don't know, and I've been trying to figure it out, but maybe he doesn't know it himself," Kirishima said. "Is that even something on his mind? We never really talk about that stuff, so..."

But you did know. You'd heard him profess the words in that tiny closet. The pieces were beginning to come together, and you weren't included in the final image.

"I'm glad you reached out to me... It seems like this has been really weighing on you, but I – I think you need to talk to them about this."

Kirishima groaned. His voice was muffled in fabric. "I know you're right... But I'm scared... As stupid as it sounds..."

"It's not stupid. I get it, this is kind of a lot. But you're friends... best friends, they'll understand too," Mina said.

"...I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't let fear hold me back from doing what's right, or what makes me happy, but... well.... It's not just my happiness I need to worry about. And I don't want to ruin what we have, all for nothing."

You'd never realized the pain you shared could be so similar, so familiar. Behind your smiles, the secrets you held carried a weight: the chance of taking away the normalcy you had with each other. Kirishima must've realized this too. Better to keep the pain inside than to let it hurt the people you love.