Teenage Haze

Between Us

It'd been a week since then, and the two were sitting together on lunch break/free period, eating quietly on a secluded bench. Neither had brought up the other day, but it was probably better that way.

"Kat y—"

"I though I told you to stop calling me that at school." The blond hastily interrupted.

"Er— yeah, sorry," Kirishima rubbed the nape of his neck, quickly dropping whatever he'd been thinking of saying, eyes falling to the floor.

A silence briefly settled between them, each taking a bite of their food before Bakugo spoke up again.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" He scowled, panging with guilt for lashing out like that.

"Nah, it doesn't matter,"

"Just shut up and tell me." The blond barked.

"You look... older, that's all."

"...Huh?"

"You just look, like, older I guess, I dunno, it— just— nevermind."

Again, an abnormal quiet fell between them and Eijiro sipped his juice, staring off, cheeks slightly pink. Retreating into himself, the jarring burst of his best friend's harshness stung bitterly against Kirishima's mind.

"You, you kinda look older— too... or whatever." Bakugo mumbled choppily.

"Really?"

"I mean, yeah, to an extent." He said, taking a half-hearted bite of his sandwich.

"Wait, like what?"

"Why do need me to tell you? We've got mirrors of a reason!" The blond exclaimed, his palms suddenly letting off plumes of smoke.

"Chill, I'm just curious, I think I kinda look the same."

"Well you don't, okay?!" Picking at his sandwich crust the teen glanced off for a moment. "You're sharper... lost that babyish roundness... and taller, I guess, but not taller than me, you're still short... and your freckles are more... noticeable."

"Oh... cool," The redhead brushed a hand to his warm cheek, feeling, then, carefully considering.

"You're sharper too, and your hair is a bit darker, still blond though. Prettier, I'd say... but, um, who cares."

Katsuki seemed taken aback, though, quickly shuttered a facade, tossing a crumb at a loitering pigeon.

"You can shut up now."

"Yeah, I prolly should." And just like that, the matter was abandoned. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You're fine Kiri." The blond hesitated on a thought, blinking twice before speaking up. "I'm sorry... sorry for yelling at you, I, I didn't mean to, okay?"

"I know." His voice was soft and soothing, able to tell that his friend was bothered by something, not just irrational anger. "Hey... um, did, did what Kaminari say... did it— is it bothering you?"

"Ha, be more specific."

"A-about us, I mean. When, when we were studying." His cheeks reddened, eyes trying to meet Katsuki's as they darted quickly away.

"Oh, that?"

"Yeah. Just a, uh, hunch, I dunno you seem tense around me... since then."

"I'm sorry Eijiro. You know I'm not trying to be, right?" He seemed so calm in that moment, the way he never was around others.

"I know... but... but why?"

"I just think about it and I, I don't know how to feel, because we're- what we've got isn't like the stuff any other friends have. But, I look at you and I want to not care, to, to not give a shit about anything anyone said or thinks."

To that, Kirishima didn't know what to say. He knew what Katsuki meant, but his chest panged with longing, shadowing him in a deep guilt. Guilt, for hearing this and still being plagued with the greed of the labelling friendship feeling inadequate.

Simply, he sighed, and stifled his mind to be able to take Katsuki's hand, despite the hazardous sweat already warming the blond's palms.

"You know as much as I do that they're idiots, we love them dearly but they're idiots. And they're gonna say weird shit, so don't mind any of it, but you'll feel what you feel, and that's all you've gotta do."

"Ugh, why're you always right?" Katsuki's thumb ran along the Eijiro's knuckles as he thought, recalling every slight curve gently traced from memory.

"I just know you."

"God, Ei, so corny," he teased, knocking himself into the redhead, pretending to be disgusted, despite the bright smile on his gleaming cheeks.

"Oh, whatever asshole."

They finished their lunch as tensions rapidly melted away, bringing back their usual easy banter.

Funny, how much one week of disruption could make one miss this kind of ease.

The two stayed outdoor for the rest of their free period, finishing a science paper and quizzing each other on the material afterward.

A wash of relief swarmed Katsuki as he leaned back on the bench, legs crossed, one arm beneath his head, the other twined with Kirishima's hand while he proof-read his paper aloud.

It was nice to have that weight off his chest. Still though, he couldn't help but smile at his best friend, even with the comment still ringing in his blushed ears.

Kirishima. Damn you Kirishima.

After school, the two went into town to grab a few groceries, but ended up also stopping for bubble tea on the way back.

A crisp breeze whispered through the streets as they walked, the crickets beginning to emerge from hiding as the sun sank below the horizon, leaving the last dusky pink light before full darkness.

Despite the short walk back, they managed to finish their tea and dispose of their cups by the time they got back so that there wasn't an outrage.

In their absence, dinner had been made and was ready on the table, their classmates sitting down to eat just as they'd entered.

It'd been a lovely end to a bumpy day.

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